A Knight's Desire
by see03
Summary: A knight named Naruto gets a hold of a magic map that can lead him to his heart's desire. With an assassin on his heels, Naruto meets Gaara, his supposed heart's desire. Will Naruto let his goal come between true love? Naruto x Gaara/Deidara x Tobi MATURE
1. A New Mission

C H A P T E R 1

The last dregs of sunlight spilled over the quaint little village nestled between the mountains. It bled on the horizon, spreading and narrowing as it ducked under the waves of the blue water. It gazed upon the town with warmth as men and women came home from work to spend the evening together or with their families. The sun left the area slowly, letting darkness spread its cloak over the homes, and hide the presence of a skulking knight.

The knight's armour was warmed as he snuck into the shadows of an alley. His bright orange cape flowed behind him as the sounds of his footsteps echoed off the dark stone walls. The clink of his chainmail sounded loud to his ears as he kept his pace slow and his steps as quiet as possible. Helmet tucked under his arm, the knight lightly stroked the orange plume, pausing as darkness came upon him. Staring up at the sky, the knight saw as a star slowly blinked to life. Taking this as a sign, the knight waited, thinking, it's best to let the night cover my aura. He did not want the village to be alerted of his presence.

The mission he was on had no great importance to his superior, who had long ago given up on the hope of this mission being successful, but it held a great importance to the orange-caped knight. He was searching for his heart. Little did the knight know, an evil shadow was stalking his footsteps, hoping to be led to his treasure.

* * *

Across the desert a red-haired noble paced in his chambers. Here the sun was slowly rising, its beams shining through the windows to wrap around the body of the dignitary in an attempted to calm him. But he just stepped back into the shadows, not wanting the comfort of the golden sunrise. Normally he would have gone to the rooftops to welcome it with open arms, celebrating another night he had survived, but today he wasn't in the mood. Instead, he paced his carpeted sitting room, his current trouble swirling through his mind relentlessly.

Many people were beginning to question his command, and his state of mind. There were whispers that the leader of the greatest city in the entire desert had gone mad. Though he knew this to be untrue, many of the people in Suna were beginning to fall to the rumours about their great chief. His second-in-command wasn't making matters any easier. The man was a saint, and his brother, but he was a dolt as well. Whenever he tried to make things better, he seemed to only make them worse. He loved the man dearly, but sometimes when they were out giving speeches to try to reassure their citizens, he just wanted to lean over and shut his brother up.

Pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, the noble squeezed his shadowed eyes closed in an attempt to concentrate a little. He jolted slightly when a loud knock sounded at his door.

"My lord, the meeting is about to begin." Hearing the trusted voice of his sister, the noble's shoulders visibly relaxed.  
"I shall depart presently. Tell the lords I will be there shortly." Satisfied at the sound of his sibling's retiring footsteps, the noble went to a sidewall and slipped on his only protection and weapon. A large sand gourd that stood almost as tall as he was placed onto his back and tied securely before exiting the room to deal with one of his many problems.

Gaara of the Sand's problems had only begun.


	2. Threats and Hatred

C H A P T E R 2

With his hand fisted around a skinny neck, the knight glared into the frightened eyes of the man before him. He stood in tattered rags, feet scrabbling at the stone wall he was pressed against as he desperately clawed at the armoured hand that was cutting off his air.

"Now listen to me, Fonnor. You will give me that map. You gave your word, not that its worth much," the knight said with a sneer as he let go of the poor man and watched him fall the short distance to the ground. While Fonnor gasped for breath, the knight continued. "I will get that map, Fonnor. Whether its from your willing hands, or off your dead body."

The small man stood slowly, hunched over not from old age, but from his life on the streets. The knight felt some pity for the man, having known that life for many years, but would not let any of those emotions show, or he would never get what he wanted from the guy.

"N-now here me out Sir Naruto, I –" He was cut off as the knight suddenly rushed forward, slamming his frail body into the wall hard.

"Don't ever mention my name again, either in my presence or absence," Naruto growled, taking out his dagger and dragging it down the side of Fonnor's face threateningly. "I don't want anyone to know I was here."

"Y-yes milord! I shan't say it again, I swear!" Gulping silently, Fonnor watched as the orange-caped beast lowered his weapon and slowly sheathed it again. Sighing softly, he took out a scroll from his robes, holding it out to Naruto with a shaking hand.

Stepping back a bit, Naruto took the scroll and unrolled it. His left eyebrow twitched angrily as he stared down at the blank sheet of paper. "This…is the map?! It's a piece of blank parchment you cheat!" Naruto lunged forward again, prepared to lop off the poor sod's head for his treachery when Fonnor's squeaky voice rose with desperation.

"Milord, please, let me explain the map! Spare my life, milord!"  
Grunting, Naruto sheathed his sword and crossed his arms over his breastplate. "You have one minute."

Fonnor nearly stumbled over himself in an attempt to get all the words out quickly. "The map is very special, milord, very special! Its able to be used by many different people, and 'tis why its blank, sir! This parchment holds the key to everything you could ever want, or ever need." Gasping for breath, Fonnor stared up into Naruto's cold blue eyes.

A silent moment passed before the knight growled menacingly. "Is that all? You're no use to me if you can't even tell me how to use this blasted chart."

With a nervous glance toward the armour-covered hand Naruto had placed on his sword, Fonnor continued, his voice rising with his nerves. "Milord, all you need say is "Show me where my heart's desire lies" and the map will be activated."

He made a sound of interest in the back of his throat, moving his hand back down to his side. "And how do I keep other's from knowing where I am headed?" Above all, the mission he was on was top secret. Naruto had been searching for years for his lost comrade, a prissy noble with glittering eyes and a sadistic smile. Oh how he missed his friend. If only the cocky bastard hadn't left, then he wouldn't be in this situation.

"Only you will be able to read the map once the words have been spoken, but if you wish to keep it hidden you only need say "From curious eyes let my destination be clouded" and the map will close, making your destination a secret to any who might be watching…" The last bit was said with a frightened glace up to the rooftops above them.

Snarling, Naruto tucked the scroll into his armour and took out the sword he had previously released. "You have betrayed me," he said menacingly, and with one hard slice, slit Fonnor's screaming throat. Letting the body drop to the ground, Naruto spared it a glance of disgust before he ran down the alley. Using a ladder, he climbed up to the rooftops. He had a second's glimpse of a dark shadow disappearing over the side of another house before he heard shouts coming from the direction of Fonnor's body. Leaping from house to house, Naruto quickly made his escape to his campsite just outside the city.

* * *

"So what you're saying is," Gaara murmured in his coldest voice, "that the city council politely requests that I take an extended leave of absence from my duties toward our fair city, until this whole 'matter' of my supposed betrayal is cleared up."

He stood with his back to a window, letting the pale sunlight stream through behind him, effectively blocking the others in the room from seeing the emotions that were playing across his face. Sadness, that the people he thought he could depend on were turning from him. And a searing rage, that they would dare suggest that he, Gaara, the richest sheik of the desert, should stop protecting his land.

"My lord, its not as simple as that." The man who stood up was either very brave, or very foolish, for bringing attention to himself when the most powerful sheik in the desert was having one of his 'moments'. All eyes turned to him, and the cerulean eyes of the noble before them burned holes into the other man. Clearing his throat, the young general ploughed ahead, deciding he might as well finish what he had started.

"Its just that, its rumoured there is a…beast inside of you and – " He was cut off by Gaara's amused laugh. The people in the room shivered, for it was a cold sound, instead of a pleasant one.

"I thought that business had been settled. Everyone is aware that there is an evil inside me. It does not, however, control my person. In fact, it is the reason I am powerful enough to own and protect so much land and people. And now, you wish to take them from my care? How do they feel about that, I wonder." With a small smirk, Gaara was pleased to hear the uncertain murmurs of the other men present.  
Scowling, the general continued. "I am new here, my lord, and had not been aware that your…disease," Gaara frowned at the presence living inside him being labelled so, "was public knowledge. I however, as do many of your supposed 'subjects' believe it to be a threat instead of a comfort."

Now the men were nodding their heads in agreement, which angered Gaara all the more. Whose side are they on, he thought, as red clouded his vision. The thing inside him wanted to rip apart their bodies for harbouring such emotions, but he reigned in that want. It would not do well to kill these men, however much it would please him. Word would get out, and that would not be good.

Gaining courage from the sudden support, the man's voice level rose, dragging Gaara's attention back to him. "Also, you have a great many enemies, which brings much unwanted notice to our soldiers and citizens."

"You are aware," Gaara said softly, "that a great deal of these enemies fear for their lives whenever they come within a hundred miles of my city. Not only would they never harm one of my subjects, they would not even come to Suna."  
The general stiffened, but nevertheless, his objective and determination wasn't swayed. "I'm going to have to request that you step down from your position, my lord, and leave the aid of this city in the capable hands of another."

"And whose hands will those be, I wonder. Yours?"

If it was possible the young man's back straightened even further. Gaara thought it might snap with such strain. "Yes, actually, it had been planned that I would take over your position in the case of your stepping down, so to speak."

Gaara stared at him. A wet behind the ears general, he thought, barely old enough to be out of the cradle. Dark amusement glittered in Gaara's eyes as he continued to watch the other man. "What's you name," he asked suddenly.

"Takehiro," he said stiffly, standing with his hands at his sides. Suits him well, Gaara thought, looking him over. The military boy. I suppose I can humour him.  
"I'll remember that name, Takehiro," Gaara said slowly, staring him in the eyes. "And I'll be the one to kill you if anything happens to this town or its people." Smirking when the general began to sweat, Gaara turned on his heel and walked from the room. Pausing after he had closed the door, his smirk bloomed into a smile when he heard the heavy sigh and the sound of a heavy weight collapsing into a chair. He walked away whistling.


	3. Secrets and Frustration

C H A P T E R 3

Grumbling, Takehiro left the conference room and walked down the hallway, going in the opposite direction of Gaara.

"I don't see why I have to do this. An artist shouldn't be put through such pains. I don't see why someone else couldn't have done this." Unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a hard, toned chest, the soldier walked into his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Still grumbling, Takehiro pulled off his shirt and tossed it on his bed.

"You might as well come out," he said, "we both know you're skills can't match mine yet at lurking around in the shadows."

The orange mask appeared out of the shadows, and it slightly crept out Takehiro that it appeared to be smiling. "I don't know what you're talking about, senpai." Skipping slightly, the masked man hopped onto the bed and seemed to grin.

Glaring, Takehiro dragged careless fingers through his tumbling blonde hair. "I told you, Tobi, you idiot! You can't call me that while I'm here. As long as I'm behind the walls of this city, you can only know me as Takehiro."

"Oh! Of course sen – Takerhiro! Tobi is a good boy!"

Sighing, the general sat on the bed and pulled the black-clothed man onto his lap, who immediately snuggled up to him. Smirking at the affectionate behaviour, he felt his anger melting away as it always did when he's around the spunky kid. "Yeah, you're a very good boy. Except when your not." Takehiro finished this with a laugh and a pat on Tobi's behind. "But I have to get dressed again to go out. I need to go spread some more rumours of Gaara, and have to convince these people I only intend the best for them and their town." Regretfully he placed Tobi back on the bed, but not before he lifted the mask to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

"When will you be back?" Tobi asked softly. "I want to play."

Takehiro grinned lecherously. "Well, depending on what you want to play, I can be back here in two hours." He quickly pulled on a shirt, switching his boots for more comfortable walking shoes.

Tobi giggled softly, "Tobi definitely wants to play bad, bad games with Takehiro-sama." He leaned back onto the bed, arching his back slightly and pulling his mask off to blow mock kisses at the now aroused war general.

Growling softly, he strode forward and grabbed Tobi's shoulders, pulling him forward for a hard, hot kiss. "Then I'll definitely be back soon." With one last smoldering glance, Takehiro pulled his jacket off of a nearby chair and exited the room.

"And I will definitely be waiting," Tobi sighed softly, "Deidara-sama."

* * *

Swearing softly, Naruto studied the map he held in his hands. He stood at the base of a large oak tree, staring off into the sudden appearance of a desert. There's no way he would have gone in there, the knight thought stubbornly. He knows I hate walking through sand. His heart dropped. Did this mean he didn't want Naruto to find him? But that couldn't be.

Mumbling profanities, Naruto looked at the map once again. If he was reading this stupid piece of paper correctly, then he should head due northeast. Hopefully he wouldn't have to change directions, but to be safe he kept it scrunched up in one of his fists. Quickly turning around, Naruto climbed up into the saddle of the camel he had "borrowed" from a sweet young man he had watched mercilessly accost two young women. Of course, he had gallantly stepped in and informed the man with the edge of his sword that that was no way to treat women, and had kindly removed from him the heavy burden of having to care for such a beast.

As the camel slowly plodded forward, Naruto turned back to watch the line of trees slowly vanish from sight. He hadn't expected the end of forest and start of desert to be quite so abrupt, but more like a slow fanning out of trees and sand. Though he had hoped to never have to discover the truth of this question, he decided that if this map would truly lead him to his desire, then a trip through the desert would be well worth it.

Day dreaming slightly while he rocked from side to side on the camel, Naruto imagined what it would be like when they finally met again. A rush of adrenaline, certainly. They would run to each other with open arms…no, that sounded too sappy, even for Naruto. Okay, they would walk forward casually, even though both felt the bubble of excitement and happiness rising inside them. They would have to be cautious though. The assassin that followed him most likely thought he was a retard, the way he had been stalking him the last couple of days. Well, it was either that, or the assassin himself was a retard. It was probably the latter.

Scrunching up his nose, Naruto swiped a quick sip from his water canteen. Maybe the guy would get dehydrated and die. Then he wouldn't have to kill the bugger later. Yeah. Or maybe a giant worm would come out of the sand and eat him. Naruto might enjoy watching that, especially if he would be able to find out why the man was following him. Either way, he really hoped that the assassin would somehow get lost and die.

Using the reins to guide the camel along the path the map was showing him, Naruto wondered not for the last time if this map really worked. _"It'll show you your heart's desire."_ What if it didn't work? What if it was just some crap piece of parchment that took men on a wild goose-chase? If that was the case, then Naruto would have no one to kill, since he'd already eliminated that bastard that had sold it to him. He'd probably told the assassin where they would be meeting to discuss the payment. But for what purpose could the man possibly want to follow him?

Shrugging, Naruto leaned back in his saddle and relaxed. Either way, the knight was confident he could handle the assassin easily.

* * *

Walking slowly over the dunes, the assassin followed Naruto from a safe distance. He wanted the blonde knight to know of his presence, but he didn't want to be too obvious, otherwise his plan wouldn't work. He had been following the man for many years now, and hopefully this time his efforts would bear fruit. He knew whom the knight was searching for, and when they got there, he would kill him. At long last, the dreaded curse placed upon him would be freed, and he could live a normal life.

The glowing eyes stared out from under the hood pulled low over a pale face. For his plan to work, his superior could not ever know of his presence near the blonde. He had been told repeatedly to drop the matter, and take things in stride, but he could not do that. He was the type of person who had to solve the problem immediately, and if that meant lying to his friends and sneaking out to assassinate the one thing keeping him from living a somewhat happier life, then he would do so.

Soon this would all be over. Naruto would lead him to the one person that plagued his being, he would kill this person, maybe even Naruto if it stroked his fancy, and then he could finally move on.


	4. Plotting

C H A P T E R 4

Gaara wandered around the palace, bored and with nothing to do. It wasn't often that the redhead found himself in such a predicament, but today was special. He no longer had any duties toward the city of Suna. He was a free citizen living within its walls. Now that that "Takehiro" character would be taking care of such matters, Gaara could relax. But _dammit_, he didn't want to relax. He needed to be kept busy, or he was afraid that he would slowly go stark raving mad. Hoping for a distraction, the noble turned on his heel and headed toward the western entrance, deciding that a walk through the town was exactly the distraction he needed. Today was the Festival of Colours. The citizens of Suna would be celebrating the coming of winter, and slightly cooler climates.

* * *

With "The Pink Panther" theme song running through his head, Deidara pressed himself up against a wall and walked along it slowly, taking great pleasure in sneaking around. Not only was he the one playing spy for Akatsuki this time, he also got to bring Tobi with him. Tobi could sit up in the room, or he could disguise himself and wander around, but the job to ruin Gaara's reputation rested solely on him. Rubbing his hands together with glee, Deidara spotted an old woman sitting on a bench, all alone. Chuckling happily, Deidara transformed himself in an elder gentleman and made his way over to her, making sure to limp a little.

"Hello there," the woman said, shifting over to make room for him.

Collapsing into the seat, Deidara panted loudly, clutching his chest as if to stop a quickly beating heart. "D-did that, G-gaara man pass by here?!" he asked forcefully, lacing panic through his voice.

Her eyebrows now scrunched together, she said, "No, why? Has something happened?" Her wrinkled hand covered his equally wrinkled and age spotted hand. Deidara had to force himself not to snatch his appendage back.

"H-he…he attacked me!! I was just walking home from talking with an old friend, and t-that MONSTER came out of nowhere and threw me against the wall. I-I'm frightened of what he might do to the other villagers." He made his hand start to shake, and his eyes blur with fear. Sure enough, the old woman was drawn in by his pitiful state, and threw herself into believing everything he said.

"My dear! That's horrible. That…man is as cruel as everyone says. Don't worry, I'll make sure everyone stays clear of that beast. But tell me, do you need medical attention?" Her other hand moved up to cup his cheek, and for a moment Deidara was scared the old hag wanted to do more than just help him. What's up with old folks being so horny around each other?

"N-no, I'm fine, more frightened than anything else. My daughter-in-law will take care of me. I live just down this lane. But if you could perhaps help me back up?" Hoping that giving her some way to help him would distract her, Deidara smiled winningly with his toothless gums.

"Of course, dear." Standing slowly, she helped him to his feet. "I'll go right now and tell people what you've told me."

Deidara watched as she walked away, before returning to his normal form, turning on his heel and trotting down another lane, whistling a joyful tune he'd heard some drunk singing last night. He was certain that in but a few hours the whole town would have heard his tale, and that it would have been expanded upon until people heard that Gaara had in fact killed an old man.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of two large wooden gates, staring up at the sign. The Hidden Village of the Sand, eh? Not so hidden if this map could point me to it, but then again, the map has supernatural powers, so it's understandable. With the reins in one hand and the map in the other, Naruto walked through the gateway and into the town of Suna.

Strange place, he thought, as he walked past jugglers and fire breathers. There must be some kind of celebration going on. Maybe some royal snob's birthday party? Well, whatever, I won't be staying here long. I'm just gonna grab the bastard, then we're gonna hightail it outa here. This place seems nice enough, and the atmosphere is actually quite exciting. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't even guess that we were in the desert. But fact is, we are, and I'm not staying here any longer than I have to. Which will hopefully only be one night.

Looking warily over his shoulder, Naruto caught another glimpse of the man following him. From what he could tell, he was fairly tall, and from the way he walked, he looked well trained and very powerful. But Naruto still wasn't worried. He wasn't cocky per se, but he still believed that the stalker wasn't a match for him.

The knight slowly made his way through the streets, and with the help of some passer-by, was able to make his way to an inn that had a stable he could put his camel in. He quickly paid the keeper for the night, stabled his camel, and set out to find the man he had long been searching for.


	5. Encounter

C H A P T E R 5

The glares were starting to annoy Gaara. Why are the people gazing upon me with such looks of malice? What has happened now? The breeze teased his red cap of hair as he walked down the main streets of Suna, hoping to reach the village square to participate in the celebrations. He wouldn't let those stares ruin his day though, because, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, Gaara extremely enjoyed the festivities that came with the changing seasons.

He gently nudged some people aside, trying to ignore the looks of hatred they sent his way and how they protectively clutched the elderly people near them. He winced slightly. Honestly, had he become an elder beater over night or something? What was wrong with his people? Gaara decided it would be better to take one of the alleys to the square, and he quickly moved into the soothing shadows of a nearby lane.

* * *

Naruto watched the map with concentrated curiousity, as the little red symbol moved hurriedly down a side street. Ironically, the symbol was the sign for love, which Naruto thought rather appropriate, considering the circumstances. It had been many years since they had seen each other, and love really was the only word Naruto could think to use to describe his feelings for his long-time friend. Checking to make sure no one was watching, the knight quickly ran down a side street and leapt up the side of a building. Dodging balconies and roof gardens, Naruto quickly ran over a few roofs leading to where the symbol was going, before dropping down into another alley. Panting slightly, Naruto looked up the wall to the rooftops. Hopefully that would have been enough to lose the assassin. If it wasn't, then he was smarter than Naruto had taken him for. He would be on his guard.

Keeping a close eye on the position of the marker on the map, Naruto stepped out into the crowd again. He realized that his intended target must be headed for the village square, and he broke into a fast trot, hoping to get there before the man.

* * *

The assassin walked slowly, trailing behind the knight. Snorting with derision, he decided to relax and follow further away. Let the fool believe he has lost me.

* * *

His eyes glimmering with an excitement he didn't realize was being revealed, Gaara climbed the steps up to the village square. Gaara had to force himself to walk slowly, so as not draw too much attention to himself, which didn't seem to make much difference. Everyone he walked past were left whispering in his wake, and they all shot him angry glances. Gaara couldn't help the slight shiver that ran up his spine, or the pain that squeezed his heart with every mother that pulled her child closer when he passed.

The nobleman walked with his head down, suddenly incredibly sad. Had they turned on him then? But, what had he done this time?

Just as he reached the top step, Gaara felt a powerful aura surround him. Turning around sharply, he quickly scanned the crowd for any danger. Finding none, he relaxed slightly, but stayed alert, staring back into the rush of people walking up the stairs behind him. A glint of metal reflected with the sun, and caused Gaara squint in warning as he watched the blonde knight walking up the remaining steps separating them.

* * *

Naruto was practically dancing with excitement. He was almost there! Turning around a sharp corner, he looked up the steep stairs, and then consulted his map. According to the 'shitty piece of parchment', as he had once called it, Naruto realized that the mark was currently walking up these very steps! To be this close, and know that he only had to climb the stairs nearly made his eyes cross with joy. He couldn't wait until they were reunited once again.

Though he didn't know the reason behind he friend's disappearance, he feared it might have something to do with him. Since then, Naruto had tried to change his ways, though he honestly couldn't see what had been wrong. He just hoped that this time, they would be able to talk more. The knight's life felt half empty without his companion by his side.

With a bounce in his step, Naruto ran up the first dozen steps, before stopping cold. What if he didn't want to see him? What if he demanded that Naruto leave? With the sudden weight of uncertainty upon his shoulders, Naruto took the rest of the steps slowly, almost reverently. This would either be the last time he would see his partner, or the start of a new life together. He seriously hoped it was the latter.

His apprehension built as he noticed that the mark on the map dictated that his long lost friend was but a mere fifteen steps above him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Naruto clenched the map within his armoured hand and held his head high, taking the last few steps with careful grace. What he saw surprised him and made his pause, his heart racing.

The red head stood at the top of the stairs, squinting down at him. The sun was behind his back, preventing Naruto from seeing the man's face. With a quick glance at the map to be sure this was the right person, that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, Naruto took the final step and stood a full head taller than the noble, even though he was a step below him. With measured words, Naruto spoke slowly.  
"Who the hell are you?"


	6. Glance

C H A P T E R 6

"Who the hell are you?"

Gaara's right eye twitched angrily. "I," he said haughtily, "am Gaara of the Sand, Lord of Suna." His clothing was pressed against his lean, hard body as the wind picked up. He was not perturbed in the least that he had to tilt his head back quite a bit to stare the man in the eyes. They happened to be gorgeous, cerulean blue eyes, but he wouldn't let the fact that they made him imagine an endless roaring sea distract him.

The nobleman slowly let his gaze move over the man in front of him. He stood at least 6'7", but Gaara guessed that 2 inches were from the iron boots he wore. His shoulders were broad, and seemed even bigger due to the armoured chest plate he wore. It bore an insignia in the very center of an orange spiral. Gaara wondered at the significance before letting his eyes wander down to the knight's narrow waist. He also noted that his arm muscles bulged under the deep blue tunic he wore.

His thighs rippled as he stepped from side to side, and Gaara couldn't help but shiver at the lustful thoughts they evoked. From the knee down his legs were covered in protective calf plates, which merged nearly seamlessly with the tip-pointed boots.

As his pale blue eyes slowly shifted back up to stare into the interestingly scarred face, Gaara realized that while he had been scrutinizing the knight, he had also been subject to the stare of the blond.

Naruto's breath had quickened when Gaara's eyes began a slow journey over his body. Though he had felt guilty for his immediate reaction, it didn't abate as he too gazed upon the delicious redhead before him.

His short hair was teased by the wind, and Naruto was slightly frightened to see the love symbol tattooed into the left side of his forehead. Just like the symbol on the map, Naruto thought. Stupid map! It was supposed to lead me to my heart's desire, but now it turns out to be just a piece of crap. He crumpled the map in his fist angrily, but he felt his fury slowly drain away as he allowed his eyes to rove over Gaara's body.

He was about one and a half heads shorter than Naruto, topping in at 5'6" at least. His shoulders would be considered broad for his frame, but when compared to his own wide shoulders, Naruto considered Gaara's to be quite slim, and he was chagrined to realize that he had the sudden urge to protect the man before him.

Gaara's slim body was covered in a delicately embroidered black jacket and black riding pants that hugged his muscular legs. He wore soft leather riding boots that came up to mid-calf, and with a quirked eyebrow, Naruto noticed a bejewelled dagger hanging at his waist.

At a slightly cough from the shorter man, Naruto let his gaze wander back up until he was again staring into the pale sky coloured eyes of Gaara. His eyebrows lowered in a scowl when he became aware of the fact that Gaara had apparently been speaking to him.

Sighing, Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose. "I said," he repeated, "what is _your_ name?" Gliding frustrated fingers through his wind-tossed hair, Gaara struggled with his patience.

"My name?" Naruto said softly. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, Rider of Konoha, Knight of the Fire Country." His chest puffed up proudly as he recited his status in his home village.

"Of Konoha? My city has a treaty with that village. Interesting though, that you would journey this far, Sir Naruto." Gaara felt his interest peaking, and felt his thoughts for the festival slowly drift from his mind, carried away on the wind.

Naruto grinned. Who knew, maybe this little man knew where to find Sasuke. "Well, I'm actually looking for someone. He'd be about my height, black duck-butt hair, scowling black eyes, and he's got a curse seal on the left side of his neck." Tapping the left side of his neck as an example, Naruto thought happily, this day might yet get better.

Gaara blinked slowly, for once in his life completely dumbfounded. Duck-butt hair? "No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone of that description ever in Suna."

At the crest-fallen expression on the handsome knight's face, Gaara felt compelled to do something he had never done before. Taking Naruto's hand, he said softly, "You will stay in my home until your friend is located."

The small noble, headed away from the crowds of the festival, pulled an excited Naruto through the crowds.

* * *

Kukuku, just as planned, Deidara thought, as he stalked Gaara through the city. He watched triumphantly as people edged aside from Gaara as he walked past, shooting him glares. Deidara practically crowed with delight. He seemed to have picked correctly when approaching the old hag. He shivered at the memory though. Good thing she hadn't insisted on walking me home. Sticking a finger in his open mouth, he fake gagged.

The artist's blonde hair flew in the wind as he rushed to keep up with the nobleman. From the excited look on his face, which slightly unnerved Deidara, he deduced that the man was headed for the festival. Cutting into an alleyway, he hurried ahead to try and get there before the redhead.

Slow steps coming from behind made him pause, and when the familiar shadow appeared against the wall, Deidara yelped quietly and quickly hid in a nearby doorway just as Gaara walked past. He must have gotten tired of the angry glances sent his way, the spy thought. Not only were the alley's faster, they also allowed a person to travel away from the eyes of the crowd, which Gaara would surely have needed by now. Though he had to wait until the noble had exited the alley again, a huge grin was plastered on Deidara's face.

It must have been really bad out there for Gaara to be forced to travel via the back routes. I'm certain he would never resort to the shadows of the alley when he had the choice of walking out in the sun unless he had to. This knowledge pleased Deidara to no end and he once again sped up to catch sight of the sand-user.

What he saw peaked his curiousity, much like Gaara's was right now. He stood near the top of the stairs leading to the town square, and a huge knight stood a step below him, even then still towering over the redhead, who didn't look frightened in the least. Well, what do you expect from a man with a demon inside him. He never had to be scared of anything, except maybe himself.

Deidara blinked when he saw Gaara grab the knight's hand. What the bleeding, buggering hell? Since when does Gaara hold hands with people, much less another man? Ohhhhhhh. He must be some kind of relative.

His thoughts were confirmed when he saw Gaara taking the man to his palace instead of up to the city council's Residence, where Gaara previously worked, and would have held a meeting.

"Oh shit," he mumbled to himself. "Speaking of the Residence, Tobi's still waiting for me." Checking the sun for the time, he was shocked to realize that it had been four hours since he had left Tobi with the promise that he would be back in HALF THE TIME HE HAD TAKEN! Turning in the other direction, Deidara ran all the way back to the Residence, we're Tobi was no doubt sulking.


	7. Lodgings

C H A P T E R 7

Tobi sat in the spacious room and sighed softly. _Where's Deidara-senpai? He said he would be back in two hours, but he has not yet returned._ He jumped slightly at a scratching noise, and grinned broadly behind his mask when the man himself opened the door and entered the room.

"Takehiro!" Tobi squealed happily, launching himself off the bed and into Deidara's open arms. He snuggled his body against Deidara's as the blonde's strong arms wrapped around him.

"Sorry I'm late," he murmured into the thick black hair. "I got distracted tracking down Gaara and his companion." His wandering hands stroked downward, cupping and squeezing the delicious little ass.

Squealing slightly, Tobi giggled. "Gaara-sama has a companion? Who is he?" His grin was finally visible as Deidara slowly removed his mask and lovingly stroked the scars on his face.

"What do you mean he? How did you know it was a man?" The artist pressed his face against Tobi's neck and began to lightly lick and kiss the skin, while his hands journeyed under the smaller man's overcoat.

Tobi wiggled against him, gasping and arching as Deidara's mouth-hands got to work on his lithe form. "I-its, hehe, obvious. Gaara is of the same preference as you and I, though he is more subtle than you." He let out a low moan as one of Deidara's hands went down the front of his pants.

"Really now? Well, to answer your question, cutie, I do not know who Gaara's companion was, though he's obviously a knight of some sort from the armour he wore." Deidara purred seductively, nipping his way up Tobi's neck to his jaw and lips. "But forget about him, I believe I promised to play with you when I got back."

"Y-yes, Takehiro-sama! You did!" Tobi yelped when Deidara suddenly picked him up and threw him onto the bed, but he welcomingly wrapped his arms around the blonde as his familiar weight pressed him into the mattress.

* * *

Naruto stared in wonder at the splendour around him. He stood in a grand hallway, with a crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling of the spiral staircase that led up to the second and third floors. The floor was made of tiles set into a diamond pattern, and they shined so much that the knight could almost see his reflection as he walked across the foyer.

To the right Naruto could see a doorway leading off to an immaculate kitchen, and though he was sorely tempted to raid the refrigerator for food, and his stomach currently seconded that opinion, he forced himself to head left, following behind Gaara.

Their feet padded silently along the red-carpeted floor, and Naruto's curiousity grew with each room they passed. They were all made of what appeared to be oak, and Naruto wondered how rich the red head walking slowly ahead of him must be, to be able to afford such wood. But then again, that crystal chandelier spoke loudly just how loaded Gaara was.

Gaara peered over his shoulder and saw the blonde looking around himself as if he'd never seen a hallway before. Admittedly it was a very large hallway, with doors on both sides, and twenty of them in total. Far too many rooms for just Gaara to live in, for his siblings each had wings of their own, but once either Temari or Kankuro had children, the house would be filled with laughter again. Gaara didn't even try to find a reason as to why he was so sure he would never have children of his own.

Making sure Naruto was still following, the nobleman headed up the smaller staircase at the end of the hall, leading to his quarters. There were two rooms on this floor, and since Naruto was to be his guest, he would occupy the second one.

This level was the exact length as the one downstairs, but was instead divided equally into two chambers, each containing a bedchamber, a bathroom, a sitting area, and an office. There were also two balconies in each chamber, one facing into the entranceway, and the other facing outside toward the gardens. Gaara especially liked standing on the balcony to watch the sunrise, when he didn't feel like climbing up to the roof.

Slowly opening one door, Gaara ushered Naruto inside the guest's room, and couldn't help the happy grin that lit his face at the disbelief on Naruto's face.

The room was decorated with orange and blue furnishings, shocking Naruto so much that he nearly took a step backward. He couldn't believe the coincidence that this room would be made up in his two favourite colours. The more time he seemed to spend in the city, the more he felt that somehow he was supposed to come here. Maybe the map meant that his heart's desire would be to find someone who would be able to help him find Sasuke. Yes, that must be it, he thought, sure in his mind that what he truly wanted was to find his long lost friend.

Trailing his hand over one of the deep blue sofa cushions, Naruto spoke softly. "Your house is very beautiful."

Gaara flushed with pleasure, oddly pleased that Naruto approved of his dwelling. He fidgeted slightly, suddenly nervous around the tough knight. "I'm relieved you approve it. You may stay here as long as you desire. My private quarters are just across the hall, but if you cannot locate me there, I am most likely to be in the library."

A small smile graced Naruto's lips, and he came forward to lay a large hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Thank you." He felt a stirring deep inside himself when the noble slowly raised his pale eyes to stare up at him, and again the urge to protect swept over him. Shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge his lustful thoughts, Naruto stepped back and cleared his throat.

"I'll need to go get my camel. It's at The Desert Oasis inn. I've already paid the innkeeper, so I should go tell him that I won't be staying the night, but he can keep my fare."

Gaara blinked slowly. "You…ride a camel? Do most knights not travel on horses?" His innocent comment brought a bright blush to Naruto's ruddy cheeks.

"Well," Naruto stumbled over his words. "My superior, when she heard of my intentions to find Sasuke and bring him home, relieved me of my horse. She said if I were to be," he gulped, "so fool-hardy as to run off like that, then I would not be allowed the use of one of Konoha's horses. So I had to acquire another beast to travel on." The huge knight shifted from foot to foot, embarrassed.

Gaara held up a hand to his mouth to hide his smirk. "I see. Well, there is no need for you to go retrieve your companion. I will send a servant to fetch him. The Desert Oasis is a well-known inn. He will be able to _acquire_ your camel and return here long before you would be capable of finding your way there through the streets of Suna."

Naruto huffed agitatedly. "I'm entirely capable of locating the inn I had _intended_ to stay in until you so rudely invited me to stay at your home." He crossed bulging arms over his barrel-wide chest, staring down upon Gaara with a frown.

This time Gaara laughed outright. Gods, when had been the last time he'd laughed? He placed one slim pale hand on Naruto's arm, stroking it unconsciously to relieve his tension. The knight slowly began to relax again, sighing softly as Gaara said reassuringly, "I have no doubt you would be able to locate the inn and recover the camel, I am simply saying it would be more prudent to allow one of my servants to go instead."

Naruto smiled, and it slowly turned into a grin to match the redhead's. He began to chuckle softly as he spoke. "All right, Gaara, you win. Your servant can get the smelly thing. But in return, I want to be taken to the kitchen immediately."

Gaara immediately opened the door again, gesturing Naruto back out into the hall. "That can be arranged." His pale eyes twinkled with mirth.

Wrapping an arm around Gaara's narrower shoulders, Naruto hugged him to the side of his body as he pulled the smaller man down the staircase. "I think you and I will become good friends."


	8. Anger and Introductions

C H A P T E R 8

The assassin sat in the bushes just outside of the very modern looking palace, completely stupefied. He watched, eyes wide with shock, as Naruto and Gaara walked into the dwelling. How could this have happened? That stupid blonde was supposed to lead me to my no good brother! Not some sand noble. How in bloody _hell_ did this happen?!

He swiftly stood and left the vicinity, not trusting himself to sit still when in such close proximity to the source of his anger. In his haste to leave the area, he missed the sight of the one person who could have been of help to him. The flash of blonde and black ran swiftly from his own position in front of the palace, headed towards the Residence.

The murderer's thoughts swirled around in his head. The stupid bastard was supposed to lead me to Sasuke! Whipping back his hood, the assassin's red eyes glared furiously at his surroundings, cutting through alleys to stay out of passer-by sight. He cast his eyes left and right, making sure no one was there, before quickly leaping up to the top of the building and sitting on the roof to brood.

He closed his eyes, and tried breathed deeply. It was at times like these when his Mangekyo bothered him the most. His 'wheel eyes' almost burned with their intensity, and he pressed bunched up fists to his eyes, knowing even still that it wouldn't alleviate the pain. He ground his teeth together with frustration. How much longer would he have to endure this torture?! He slowly lowered his hands, the only solution blaring in his mind like the glare from the sun he could no longer completely see.

He would have to interrogate Naruto Uzumaki. That demon spawn must know where Sasuke was. This whole trip through the desert must have been a ruse, a ploy to lead him further away from his objective. That redheaded dip-shit must be in on it too. Why else would he have invited the knight into his home? They must be planning to hide him somewhere. I'll have to keep a close eye on them. If they somehow manage to alert Sasuke of my presence before I get my hands on him, I won't stand a chance. I _have_ to take him by surprise.

His decision made, the assassin slowly stood, turning around to fix his red eyes on the looming palace ahead of him. Itachi Uchiha would not be deterred from his mission. He would not allow Sasuke to live.

* * *

"After you eat," Gaara said, biting into an apple and pocketing the wedge in his cheek to continue speaking, "we'll go see someone I know at the Residence. She's in charge of the correspondence for all of Suna. If anything has come in relating to your friend Sasuke, she'll be able to find it." He chewed and swallowed, taking another bite.

Seemingly inhaling the ramen Gaara had made for him upon request, Naruto nodded and swallowed. "Sounds good to me."

They sat in companionable silence until Naruto spoke again. "What do ya do for fun around here?"

Gaara blinked, slightly taken aback. "Well, I take great pleasure from some lucrative reading, and reviewing the reports from my properties in and around Suna."

The knight stared. "You call _that_ fun? What about dating? Or going out and banging a hot piece of ass?" Taking another slurp of beef ramen, Naruto hoped Gaara would understand what he wanted.

The sand noble's face flushed a deep red. _H-he wants some…ass? Sweet Kami, can he mean what I think he means?_ "W-well, I find it to be an appalling waste of time to attempt 'banging a hot piece of ass' when very few of the people belonging to that ass would want to connect themselves with my person." After all, how many gay men could there be in a city that's survival depended on many generations of children to protect and support it. Besides, Gaara preferred to be banged than to do the banging himself.

Naruto paused, his chopsticks held up halfway to his face. "Connect themselves with your person? That's crazy. Why wouldn't they want to associate themselves with you? You're the most amazing person I've ever met." _D-did I just say that? Dear Kami, I'm attracted to the _boy. He had to stamp down a quick rush of jealousy at the thought of someone else realizing the precious jewel that Gaara was revealing himself to be. Finishing his bite, the knight pushed aside his empty bowl and leaned on the counter.

Gaara looked away, trying to ignore Naruto's last comment, but unable to hide his blush and the glow that came to his eyes. "Well, most…all the citizens of Suna view me as a monster. I was born with two souls. One is my own, and the other is the soul of a demon. I have it under complete control, except when I'm under stress or I'm feeling very emotional, but the populace doesn't seem to want to believe in my abilities to control Shukaku."

Naruto's eyes softened, and he stood up to slowly round the table and sit beside Gaara. He spoke softly, "You're not the only one with two souls Gaara."

"I-I'm not?" he whispered, his sky blue eyes opened wide as he stared up into Naruto's open face. He didn't read any hatred there. Only kindness, and Gaara thought, a little love. He sighed inwardly. _Probably platonic love_. _What I thought I saw before, when Naruto complimented me, was just a friendly comment_. _Nothing more_.

He leaned his elbows on the table, looking forward at the kitchen. "I have demon soul within me too. I wasn't born with it though. The demon was attacking my village, and my father died trying to seal it. He ended up sealing it within me, knowing that I would probably be the only one able to control it. It hasn't earned me much love. I have my friends, but I don't have that special someone to come home to, you know?" He finished this by looking back to Gaara, a gentle smile on his lips.

The noble felt a shiver rush down his spine. _I have to stop this before I do something I might regret later_. "Have you finished eating now?" he said quickly, diverting the conversation.

Naruto's smile widened slightly. "Yes, I have. Does this mean we'll see your friend now about Sasuke?" He felt his pulse speed up with anticipation.

Gaara turned his back to hide his small frown. "Yes, it does. Come, let's hurry. It's a good fifteen minute walk back to the Residence, and I'm not certain as to when she goes home."

The knight stood swiftly, grabbing Gaara's hand and pulling him along. "Then what are we doing standing here? Let's go!"

* * *

Oki rushed around her office, grabbing boxes and placing them gently on the large table she used to sort the mountains of correspondence she got every day. The small woman was in charge of all the delivery services for the Suna Council, and she went through the mail, organizing it to be sent to its proper delivery services centres within the city. The most important aspect of her job though. Espionage. She prided herself in her ability to identify 'spy mail' as the warriors of their village liked to call it. And that, among other letters, was what she was going through at that very moment.

"Oki," Gaara whispered fondly in her ear, "I see you are disorganized as ever."

Gasping with indignation, she straightened quickly. "What are you talking about?! I am immaculate." She gestured around her office, wincing at the state of it. Well, it _had_ been immaculate, before Gaara and his push-boy showed up. Still, she knew he was teasing, and thus couldn't help the smirk that graced her smooth features.

"Ahh, yes, I can see that it is," the noble replied, swiftly picking up the box she had been inspecting and plopping it down with the others. Naruto grunted from where he sat, flipping through old mail, looking for anything that might hint at Sasuke's movements.

Her smirk widened into a grin. "Hey, as long as I know where everything is, it can't really be counted as disorganized now can it?" Bending down, she picked up the last box they would need and walked toward where the blonde sat, paying close attention to a letter he had in his hand.  
"What have you got there," she asked, taking a stack of 'spy mail' from her box.

Naruto blinked slowly, drawn out from the words on the page. "Hmmm…? Oh! Umm, it mentions something called the Akatsuki threatening your borders. It intrigued me. There have been members of an alleged organization of that name harassing my village as well, among others in the surrounding Countries."

Oki frowned, picking up the letter and reading through it quickly. "Huh, you're right. But this is many years old. They haven't been bothering us for nigh on…7 or 8 years now."

Gaara nodded confirmation. "The last I heard," he said, "was that they had retreated from our borders for a still unfound reason. They just suddenly weren't there anymore."

Naruto picked up another letter, growling softly to himself. "Well you should keep a watch out for them. Those bastards are tricky, and very clever. I bet they could get one or two of their spies into this city without even realizing it. Heck, when I crossed into your borders, the guards didn't even ask what my business was."

"That's strange," Gaara murmured. "The border guards have always been known for being the most suspicious of our warriors. It used to be they wouldn't even let me back in until I had proven that I was indeed the Sheik of Suna."

"When did things start becoming weird around here," Naruto asked, quickly reading and eliminating half a box of correspondence.

Oki frowned, placing a finished box on the floor. "I think that would be around the time the citizens got the strange idea in their heads that we needed a council to advice you."

Gaara nodded his agreement again. "Yes, that does seem about right. Come to think of it, that idea was proposed right around the time Akatsuki disappeared, by the foolish pup Takehiro."

"The war general that's taken your place as Council Head?" Oki gasped. She knew about him all right. She hated having to work for him. Something about him was…off.

"Yes," Gaara murmured, "the very same." He paused reflectively, staring down at the letter Oki had placed in front of him. _This is too much of a coincidence. Takehiro and the Akatsuki must have something in common. But what?_

While he pondered this revealing information, Naruto and Oki continued their search through the mail for any possible link towards the man Naruto was searching for.


	9. Work and Confusion

C H A P T E R 9

Deidara lay with his arm flung out, Tobi sleeping quietly atop it. His scarred face was free of stress and worry as he journeyed in his dreams. Deidara ran a gentle hand over his thick black hair before gradually extracting himself from Tobi's embrace. He stood slowly, gazing down at his lover before quickly dressing and leaving the room.

Walking down the wide hallway, Deidara sighed softly and scooped his hair back into a ponytail before placing his general's cap on his head. He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping that soon this would all be over. He was headed to the Council's Room, where a meeting was to be taking place and would result in the decision of what to do with Gaara.

_Hopefully, after this meeting, this will all be over_, he thought silently. _I've been here for nearly 8 years. I don't want to be here for the rest of my life. And I can tell that Tobi is getting bored. He'd never leave so long as I'm here, but he'll start to get twitchy._ Deidara sighed softly. _I hate when he gets twitchy._

He knocked and entered the large circular room, and quickly took his place among the elders. _Stupid old hags_, he thought angrily. He couldn't believe they had fallen for his ploy so easily. Sure, it had taken him 5 years just to get on the council, but that was mainly because he had to work his way up from soldier to general. He had seriously expected it to take much longer than a mere 8 years. Even though his expectations had been far higher than the time needed for the mission was turning out to be, he was getting tired of just sitting around. Honestly, all these elders did was talk! Didn't they actually ever _do_ anything about their problems? At least Gaara went as an envoy to other Countries to try and solve the land disputes. He was even known to go out and fight on the battlefield along with his soldiers.

Deidara knew for sure that none of the elders, who really weren't much more than forty or fifty years old, would do something like that.

But he knew it was that reason that they had accepted him into their midst. They had merely talked amongst themselves and decided that he was worthy, instead of doing what Gaara had probably been outvoted on, and had spies look into his background to make sure he wasn't a threat. _Oh well, too bad for them_.

Settling into his chair, Deidara steepled his fingers and looked contemplatively at them. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he murmured, "we have much to discuss."

* * *

Oki yawned, arching her back over the chair and stretching her arms above her head. Looking from the corner of her eyes toward one of the windows on her left, she was shocked to see the sun rising. Standing up and pushing away from the desk, she tapped the two men seated on either side of her on the shoulders.  
"What?" Gaara asked softly, as Naruto blinked up at her with confusion.

"Can't you see what time it is? Its sunrise. We've been up all night looking for something," she gestured at the piles of paperwork in front of them. "Among the three of us, we've gone through about three quarters of it. We should head home and sleep for the day, and meet again tomorrow morning."

Naruto stood up quickly, an angry scowl on his face. "We can't! We're so close, I can feel it!"

Gaara stepped around Oki to place a warning hand on the blonde's forearm. "Naruto," he murmured quietly, "we're all tired. I agree with Oki. We should head back home and sleep for a couple hours. It will give us time to think if nothing else."

Turning his strangely red-tinted eyes on Gaara, the noble was relieved to see them gaining the blue hue back. Sighing in defeat, Naruto slumped forward. "All right. We'll see you tomorrow then Oki."

Smiling softly up at the knight, she too placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sure we'll find something. None of this is going anywhere. We can keep looking for as long as you stay here."

That brought the grin back to his face. Smiling brightly, Naruto leaned forward and hugged her, lifting her off her feet. "Thanks Oki. We'll be back." He placed her back on her feet gently, then grabbed his coat and headed out the door. "C'mon Gaara," he shouted over his shoulder.

Gaara chuckled softly. "I guess that's my cue." Rubbing soothing circles on her back, he whispered, "You get some sleep too. Naruto might not have noticed, but I observed you. Of all of us, you went through the most correspondence. Eat something, and get the sleep you recommended of Naruto and I." With one last pat on her shoulder, Gaara too snatched up his jacked and walked out.

The knight stood with arms crossed and a slight scowl on his face. "What took you so long?" He scowl deepened at a sudden thought. "How much does that girl mean to you?"

Gaara's face was suddenly devoid of feeling, his happy smile at the sight of Naruto wiped of his face. "I've already told you, Sir Naruto, that I'm of the masculine preference."

His face dropped, and he stuttered slightly. "I-I'm sorry Gaara. I forgot. It's just that…" he trailed off, looking away from the redhead as they began the long journey back to his home.

"Just what," Gaara said monotonously, seething inside. He quickened his steps, forcing Naruto to jog to catch up, no matter that his legs were much longer than the noble's.

"Gaara, wait!" Naruto whispered loudly, grabbing his shoulder to spin him around. The noble jerked in his touch, and Naruto immediately let go. "Gaara, please…I was jealous."

Blinking with surprise, the angry retort dying on his lips, the redhead raised up a hand to lay over his quickly beating heart. "You were…jealous?" He stared in wonder up at the blonde before gasping softly and turning away, nearly running down the lane, as the meaning to Naruto's words rushed into his head.

_To have been jealous, he would have to harbour some feeling for me. Something more than mere friendship. Oh Kami, don't tell me Naruto lusts for me. I don't think I'd be able to contain my happiness if that were true._

Naruto's startled exclamation was cut short as he jogged behind Gaara. Seeing the door to the palace, he knew if he didn't talk to the noble now, he probably wouldn't get a chance until the next morning. He would surely rush to his room and lock Naruto out of his life. For the night at least.

He sprinted ahead and threw himself in front of Gaara, standing between him and the door. "Let me explain Gaara."

Gaara stopped before he would have slammed into the large chest in front of him, and stood still, not daring to look up into Naruto's eyes. His hand was on the door knob, but he didn't turn it, instead used his silence to show the knight he was listening.

Sighing softly, Naruto used one hand to cup Gaara's chin and gently lift it until their eyes met. "Gaara…ever since I first met you – dear Kami, just this morning! – I've been attracted to you. Your grace, your kindness that you try to hide, you love for those around you…your beauty." At the last he raised his other hand to gently stroke back Gaara's hair, revealing the tattoo on his forehead. _Love_, Naruto thought. _Is that what I feel?_

Gaara's eyes widened, and a bright blush graced his features. "Naruto," he whispered hoarsely, "please don't do this to me…" He began to shake against the knight's tall frame, but not against the early morning chill.

His eyes softened. "I can't help it Gaara. I also can't help but see…the you feel for me too." Naruto's face lowered slowly, and he shivered when Gaara's soft lips parted on a gasp.

"Naruto…" Gaara moaned softly, just before the knight's lips captured his own. His free hand gripped the back of Naruto's shirt, as his lips feel open and his tongue swept out to dance with the knight's.

His own moan rose to mix with Gaara's in the air, and he was filled with sudden heat as the sun rose and feel upon them. His hands gripped the noble's hips, bringing him closer, slowly, so slowly, until they bumped against his.

When Naruto pulled back and gazed lovingly upon Gaara's flushed features, words rose unbidden to his lips. "Oh Naruto, I think I lo…." He jerked slightly, and pulled back from Naruto's embrace forcefully, shocking the blonde. _Oh Kami, what had I been about to say?!_

He threw open the door and pushed past the startled Naruto, ignoring his questioning shouts. Rushing upstairs, Gaara ran into his room and slammed the door shut, effectively shutting out the outside world.


	10. Surprise

C H A P T E R 10

Itachi paced silently in the apartment he had rented, sorting through the information he had gathered. _According to the young woman who was flirting with me at the market today, the young man Uzumaki is with is called Gaara. And he is the Sheik of Suna. I've heard a lot about this dreaded man. Who would know he was so insignificant in appearance? He's small, quite small when compared to Uzumaki, and by the looks of him, he isn't very muscular either. Simply slim. I could easily destroy him. But to do that, I need to know his routine. If he's the Sheik of this place, he'll probably spend much of his time at the Residence. I'll need to scope out his office and his usual route home._ Turning, he stared out his window toward the Residence.

He had picked his apartment strategically. From the North window he had a clear view of Gaara's home, and from the East window a view of the Residence. Now not only could he see both places clearly, he was nearly in between both buildings, allowing him to easily intercept the noble.

It was small, and contained on the bare minimum. There was a futon in the corner, and a low table with one cushion in the center of the room. Beside his bed he had a lamp, and his sac that contained all his belongings; clothing, money, a fire starter, and his Akatsuki ring.

He had no need for kitchen supplies, since he always bought his food, unless he was travelling. Then he hunted game and simply cooked it over a fire, but in the city, that was not necessary.

He watched impassively as the sun slowly rose. Leaning out the window leading to the Residence, he contemplated his options. _Gaara would most likely be on his way to work, leaving his home unprotected. I could go in and look around a bit to see a bit of what he surrounds himself with. Or I could go to the Residence and hope to be given a chance to not only look through his office, and even stalk him home to begin finding his usual route home._ With hooded eyes, Itachi slowly stroked his chin. Two options, both that would be very fruitful ventures.

Standing, Itachi headed outside, walking slowly to his destination.

* * *

Deidara growled to himself as he stepped out of the Council Room, dragging a hand through his messy hair. Sometime during the meeting he had taken out his ponytail with his ruthless fingers, so as not to use them to strangle the councillor beside him.

_Why can't things work out for me? That meeting was nothing but a waste of my time. We spent what…_ He checked his watch quickly. _Fuck man, we spent _four_ hours talking about what to do with Gaara, and those stupid elders have decided to leave Gaara alone to live his life as the Sheik. _He banged his fist against the wall quickly, letting his head fall against it. _The Kami's know I did everything I could to make them change their mind. _He sighed softly and continued walking down the hall.

_I need Gaara to be banished. Driven from this city somehow, so that we can kill him. If we do that within the city, it will be found out within hours, and they'll be hot on our tail. We couldn't do it earlier because whenever he left the city, he had Council support and bodyguards. But if he were exiled, oh, that would be an entirely different story._ He rubbed a dry hand against his forehead, sighing softly.

_But that's not going to happen anytime soon. Not unless…_He stood straighter, suddenly seeing the answer to his problems.

_All I have to do is get the _villagers _to drive Gaara out of the city! Just because the council says he can stay here and rule as his rightful place as Sheik, the citizens of this very city could be made to disagree! They could riot, and force the elders to change their minds. Hell, they could kill Gaara for me. Then all I would have to do is get Gaara's body back to the Boss, and everything will be peachy._ Grinning to show his current happiness, Deidara allowed a little bounce to enter his step.

Soon all his problems would be solved.

* * *

Itachi wandered the red-carpeted halls, staring around him in hopes of looking like a simple villager trying to find his way through the maze of hallways in the Residence. In truth, he wasn't far from being just that. He looked around, scoping out possible escape routes and hiding places. He was nothing if not prepared.

He let his steps take him further into the Residence, knowing without being told that Gaara's offices would most likely be in the center of the circular building. The middle would be the furthest away from any outside threats, and would be able to be easily defended from the center of the room against any intruders coming down the hallways leading to it. He had heard though, that the Residence also housed and held meetings for the Councillors. He hadn't been aware that Gaara needed some snotty old men and women to help him make decisions. Maybe he wasn't so bright after all.

His footsteps slowed when he heard soft swishing noises coming towards him. He stared around him, and cursed when he didn't see any doorways that he could dash into. Turning around swiftly, he judged from the sounds that he wouldn't make it to the nearest doorway in time, even if he ran. That would only make his presence a suspicion, to see him running off. So he continued walking forward, slowly and cautiously, hoping that whoever walked by would ignore him.

Deidara's clothing draped around his lithe form, moving slightly with his steps. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back, a self-assured pose, full of confidence and the knowledge that he was the leader of this building, even if only as the Head Councillor.

His eyes scanned ahead, always watching for possible threats. Though no one knew who he really was, he couldn't let his guard down. There was always the chance that someone had found out, and if there ever came a time that someone did, he desperately hoped it wouldn't be Gaara.

He froze when he heard movement around the corner. _Who in hell would be this far into the center of the Residence? No one but the councillors are allowed around here. Geez, the guards are getting pretty lax around here, no matter that I was the one who suggested these men be put on patrol all around and within the city walls. Of course, they're merely men with their minds firmly in my grasp, but they should still be doing their job._ He sighed, realizing he would have to get rid of this disturbance before the elders became aware of it. He turned the corner and nearly bumped into the presence he had heard.

Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind after that slight bump, his eyes went wide at who stood before him. "What are _you_ doing here?!"


	11. Hurt and Want

C H A P T E R 11

Naruto sat on the couch in the antechamber of his room, his head resting in his hands. His pressed callused fingers against his eyelids, trying to block out the afternoon sun. He had attempted sleep, but had ended up tossing and turning in the royal blue sheets before getting a mere two hours of rest. His eyes were red-rimmed, and light bags were visible under them. Though it had only been a few hours since he and Gaara had returned home from the Residence, worry gnawed at his soul.

_What if Gaara never talks to me again?_ He thought. _I may have only known him for a day and a half, but…I've come to greatly appreciate his company. Watching the way he walks, listening to his soothing voice. Staring into his pale eyes…_Naruto jolted upwards, shocked at his own thoughts. _What am I thinking?! I'm _not_ attracted to him. I can't let anything sidetrack me from finding Sasuke. The kiss we shared…was merely due to tiredness. I've been alone throughout my whole search for that black-haired bastard, and Gaara has been the only one to offer some kind of assistance. I was simply…acting out on the kindness he has shown me. Nothing more. I was drawn to his warmth, and now I may have harmed our friendship._

He sighed, beginning to pace in his rooms, massaging his temples. _Yes, that's it. I don't love Gaara. I'm just acting accordingly in this situation. When a man receives help and is around someone so beautiful all the time…_Blinking, he quickly left that train of thought and picked up on the previous one. _When a man receives help he tries to repay it tenfold, if that man is honourable. Gaara can't love me either. He's just…been seduced by the idea of my being a knight. There are many romantic stories about men in this occupation. He's being sucked into the stereotype of happily ever after with one of them._ He nodded decisively, his eyes hooded as he walked to the window to stare out at the splendour before him.

He was growing used to the sand. He watched as two small children ran past, one with blazing red hair, and the other with shining yellow locks. He shook his head swiftly, and the image before him changed into two normal children, their simple brown and black tresses bouncing around their shoulders as they ran past. _What in hell was that…?_ The knight turned from the window, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

His eyes scanned the room, and noted how he had already made it a kind of home. His travelling bag was unpacked, the clothes thrown willy-nilly all over the furniture, his black boots thrown carelessly beside the door. He scowled slightly. _I've grown too attached to this place. I need to back up a couple giant steps. I can't hold any regrets when I leave here. My mission is to find Sasuke. I _won't_ be sidetracked._ He stared at the oak door, knowing that only it and its twin across the hall kept him from being at Gaara's side. Breathing out loudly through his nose, Naruto walked to the door and slowly opened it, taking the scant two steps to Gaara's door in one long stride before rapping on it lightly with his knuckles.

* * *

The nobleman reclined against what seemed to be dozens of pillows, having wrapped himself in his light yellow silk sheets, trying to seek comfort from the cushiony haven he found in his bed.

_Naruto…_ His thoughts seemed to center around the blonde lately. How his hair out shone the sun. And how his eyes rivalled the brilliance of roaring seas. How his urge to glide his fingertips over the strange scars that adorned the knight's face had grown into a craving. The way his smile could dazzle Gaara and turn his mood around, making him forget any wayward thoughts. He wondered what life would be like without the blonde and shivered. _I never want to know how that would feel._

His sky blue eyes scanned the room, and he felt strangely out of place within the walls in deference to his current mood. Though many people assumed he was dark, and rather dreary, he had decorated his living quarters according to his inner thoughts and turmoil. One wall was a deep blue for the loneliness he felt at times, but clashing with it was a fiery red, to represent his quick anger. Merging smoothly with the red were oranges and yellows, to release the happiness he rarely showed to others, and to soothe his soul when he was hurt. The yellow continued to drift and mingle with a pale purple, showing the colour of his family's coat of arms and to represent his near royal blood. In between the colours of purple and blue was green, to symbolize his envy for others around him, to live a life worth fighting for. Among all the colours were a multitude of shades to add depth, and make it more tasteful instead of looking like it had been created by the random will of a child, when in fact, it had.

This room had been given to him as a child. It was the furthest room from the rest of the house, and the child Gaara had received it as a gift, in the hopes that he would not bother too many people if he had his own separate wing and his own servants. Startled employees had supplied paints upon his request, and he had gotten to work immediately on the plain brown room, intending to try and release his pent up emotions on the large canvas he had before him. The walls of his room. Since then, the noble had not felt the need to remove the memories the walls held, and had continued to add and layer on new colours whenever he needed to express himself, but felt unable to do so.

The rest of his room was just as misfit as his walls. His pillows consisted of all shapes, sizes, and colours, the only similarity being that they were stuffed with so many feathers that it was nearly heavenly to lay among them. His sheets where various shades of yellows, allowing him to be surrounded by his favourite colour. Yellow always reminded him of the sun, and he took comfort from it, because every sunrise was an accomplishment. Every sunrise was another night lived through with Shukaku. And now, yellow would always remind him of Naruto as well.

His rooms were exact duplicates of the rooms across the hall, except for the colours. While Naruto's rooms stayed with the colour scheme of blues and oranges, Gaara's furniture again seemed to be randomly picked colours. He had sofas and lounges in all different colours, placed amongst one other to contrast and enhance each other.

He loved his room.

Disentangling himself from the silky sheets, Gaara stood slowly, prepared to paint his walls a bit when a knock sounded at his door. _Only one person would be coming to see me…_Gaara gulped slightly, but nonetheless strolled over to the door, revealing the one man he did and didn't want to see.

"Naruto," he said breathlessly.

The deep blue eyes narrowed slightly, and he could sense some kind of struggle within the blonde. _Oh no, he's not angry with me is he? I know I ran away from his kiss, but its not because I didn't like it! Oh Naruto, if only I could say what is within my heart without fear of your rejection. I do love you, if only in my thoughts._

Naruto fidgeted slightly, clearing waiting to be invited in. Suddenly very nervous, Gaara stood aside and held the door open wider, and the knight stepped in slowly, taking in the state of Gaara's rooms with startled eyes.

A small smile graced his soft lips. "Whenever I'm not feeling right, I release my emotions upon the walls."

"You paint?" Naruto murmured, clearly surprised.

"Yes. I've been known to paint on actual canvas once in a while, but only if the mood strikes me." He walked forward and seated himself on a dark green settee.

"I see…" The knight followed Gaara's movements with his eyes, and seated himself in a pale red chair across from the noble. "Gaara…I think we need to talk about some things." Sad eyes stared across the small space separating them.

"O-oh? About what?" Gaara was definitely getting nervous. He could feel his palms getting damp as his apprehension increased.

The blonde sighed softly. "I think you know what I'm talking about, but I'll elaborate." He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and lightly cupping his chin. "Gaara…I know you have this fantasy that I'm your knight in shining armour, but I'm not. I'm not a hero. And I can't be who you want me to be. I know you think you love me, but you don't. And I don't love you."

Gaara stood stiffly, more shocked than he had ever been in his entire life as his world crumbled around him.

* * *

Tobi sat on the bed, drawing naughty pictures of himself and Deidara when the door began to inch its way open. Grinning behind his mask, he threw aside the pad and pencil to burst forward and tackle his lover.

"Takehiro!" His face buried in the man's neck, arms wrapped tightly around him, Tobi paused when he felt Deidara stiffen. He pulled back slightly to gaze up at the blonde inquisitively before looking over his shoulder and gasping. "Itachi-sama!" He released Deidara immediately, taking a few steps back so Itachi could see him clearly.  
Itachi snorted. "There's no need to pretend I didn't see that. Besides, I've known about your little fling for quite some time." He stepped forward and closed the door, staring about the room before taking a seat on the nearest chair.

Deidara's face turned red in silent rage. _How dare he say what we have is a fling?! Bastard doesn't know what true compassion and love is._ His eyes followed Tobi across the room, silently communicating that he didn't view their relationship as a so belittling as an affair. He was relieved when Tobi nodded back, relaxing against the pillows.

"So, um…what are you doing here Itachi-sama?" Tobi asked quietly.

He cupped his palm around his chin, leaning forward on his knees. "As you know, I've been following Naruto Uzumaki for quite some time now, in the hopes that he would lead me to Sasuke. Well, for some reason, he has come to this city, and is associating himself with the Sheik, Gaara of the Sand. I came to the Residence in the hopes of stalking the redhead for a bit to see just what he has to do with that loser Naruto, but I ran into Deidara instead." He eyes took on a thoughtful expression. "What are _you two_ doing here?" He asked inquisitively.

Deidara went forward to sit beside Tobi, wrapping an arm around him and sighing softly when the raven-haired man leaned into his embrace. "The Boss sent us here to capture the city in hopes of driving Gaara from it. Its been taking a fair amount of time, but it has also allowed Pein-sama to strengthen his plans. And just recently our mission has become successful. Gaara has been removed from the Council of Elders, while I have taken his place as Head Councillor. It will only be a matter of time before we're done here, and that time with surely be shortened, since we are in fact, coincidentally, after the same person."

The sharingan eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? I'm not after Gaara. I'm just interested in his status with Naruto."

Deidara leaned forward conspiratorially. "I think, Itachi, that it would be to your advantage to remove Gaara from the picture."

"And why is that?" he replied, reclining against the back of the chair. _Just what are these buffoons getting at?_

The blonde scowled. "Surely you're aware, that Naruto seems to be under the care of Gaara. They also seem to be…close. If you get Gaara out of the picture, it will be far easier for you to capture Naruto and possibly interrogate him, because I have a feeling, that Gaara would defend him to the death."

Itachi snorted again. "A quick death. That little _boy_ isn't a threat to me."

Deidara stared at him calmly. "I would not underestimate that _boy_ as you called him. He harbours a second spirit. That's why we're after him, but the only way to safely retrieve it from him is to have him calm, happy if possibly. That's why we haven't simply kidnapped him. His soul must be clean when they are separated, or they could be destroyed."

"I see…" His eyes seemed to be attempting to bore holes into Deidara's mind. "I can see what you're getting at. Help us, and we'll help you. I think I can do that."

A small smile graced his lips. "So you'll help us then."

"Yes." A smile far more sinister than Deidara's slowly grew on Itachi's features. "But I want Naruto. Alive."


	12. Shocking Pain

C H A P T E R 12

Unable to take the look of pain and confusion that crossed Gaara's beautiful features, Naruto stood and quietly took himself from the room, rubbing a hand over his chest.

_What is this ache I feel? Have I fallen ill?_ His fumbling hands opened his own door and he stepped inside, looking around him, slightly disoriented. As his eyes took in the state of the chamber, and the disorder of his belongings, the knight began to slowly pack his things.

_I can't stay here. After all I've done to Gaara now, it would be wrong of me to continue to accept his hospitality._ He lifted a pair of his underwear when a flash of dark blue and green crossed his peripheral vision. He turned his head slowly and saw Gaara standing in the doorway.

"Gaara, what – " he began, but was cut off immediately.

Taking in the sight of what Naruto was doing, Gaara's lips tightened into a grim line. "You will not leave the premises. I offered my home to you until your companion was located, and you shall remain here until then." Something in his eyes made Naruto pause, letting his arms fall to his sides.

_Gaara…_he thought, distraught at the lack of emotions in the redhead's sky eyes. They were completely devoid of light, and Naruto winced when they made him think of the sightless eyes of the dead.

To Gaara, it did feel like he was dead. Naruto's words had killed a little bit of his soul, just as surely as ramming a blade into his heart would kill him. _Naruto…I wish none of this had ever happened._ With a final glance to make sure the blonde would unpack again, the nobleman turned on his heels and walked down the stairs, swiftly making his way outside. _I need some fresh air._

Scanning his surroundings for any threat, mostly out of habit rather than necessity, he began to journey down the lanes, headed toward the marketplace.

Clenching his fists at his sides to resist the urge to rub the pain that was spreading through his heart, Gaara hardened himself against it. _Never again_, he vowed silently, _will I allow anyone the opportunity to bring me this pain. Already, I feel myself tiring, and once again dreading life. At one time, only Shukaku could make me feel this self-loathing and self-pity. Only Shukaku could hurt me. By opening myself to Naruto, by allowing myself to hope, now he has hurt me as well._ His pale blue eyes took in the sight of the black robed man ducking into an alley ahead of him, but he paid the shadowy figure no heed, occupied with his own thoughts.

_Naruto…I had hoped, once Sasuke was located, you would stay with me. But it appears I was lead by my own misguided dreams, just as you said. _The strong man behind the armour had been what had drawn him in, not the armour itself. It was the man that Naruto was, that Gaara cared for. Not for his titles. And now, his aspirations fell in the light of all that had happened. _Naruto does not love me. Never will love a being such as I. No matter that he says he is in a similar position as I, he cannot make himself care for me as anything other than a friend. _He closed his eyes and leaned against a nearby wall, pressing his palm against it in frustration. _Even Sasuke holds more status within the knight's heart than I do. And nothing will change that._

His feelings plummeting with each new and depressing thought that crossed his mind, Gaara continued on his walk, slowly circling the market place and heading back toward his mansion as the sun rose to mark its afternoon path.

* * *

Naruto sat in the drawing room, worrying his lip with his teeth. _Where had Gaara gone? He doesn't know that there is an assassin out there looking for me. What if he goes after Gaara to use as a weapon against me? …Why would that even _work_ against me?!_ More puzzled than he would have like, Naruto stood to slowly pace the room.

_Do I feel ashamed of what I said? No, that is impossible, for I spoke the truth. I cannot love Gaara. Not with everything that is happening right now. Afterward…I still don't think I'll be able to. Even if I do_, he gulped, trying to will away the rapid beat of his heart,_ even if I do fall in love with him, I do not deserve him. Gaara is everything that I am not. He is fair. I can be cruel. He is wealthy. I am not. He is brave. I am reckless. He is smart. I am not. He is kind to those of lower status than him. I am not. He is beautiful._ The knight smiled ruefully, admitting his attraction to the nobleman. _I am not. So many differences. How can compromise possibly be found among such?_ He sighed softly, stopping to stare out a window.

_I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing!_ He finally decided. _Gaara is at risk out there by himself. I won't let anything happen to him, no matter that I told him that nothing could happen between us. _Grabbing his coat, Naruto ran outside and began his search.

* * *

It was while walking back to the mansion that Naruto finally spotted Gaara's shock of red hair. Rushing forward, Naruto didn't pause his movements even when the man refused to acknowledge his presence. Panting beside him, the blonde slowed to Gaara's pace, glad that the youth was safe.

"What do you want, Naruto?" He was shocked by the coldness of his own voice, but was unable to stop the anger that boiled just below the surface. _How could he put me through such pain, and yet look so unaffected?_

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right," he said softly, looking up and seeing how close they were to the house.

"Well, as you can see, I am perfectly fine. No need to waste your energy on one such as me." Gaara opened the door and stepped in, resisting the urge to slam it shut after Naruto had stepped in.

He looked at the noble in surprise, shocked at the heat behind those words. "What do you mean by that?" he asked slowly, not wanting to possibly make Gaara close off to him should he read his curiousity.

Those lifeless blue eyes stared into his, but seemed to see through him as well. "I mean what I said. I am as the villages say I am. A monster, undeserving of love, or the emotions that follow it."

The cerulean eyes widened as he realized the full extent of Gaara's words. "Gaara, that's not what I meant when I said – "

The shorter male, as he once again interrupted him, said, "I care not what you may or may not have meant. Life goes on, and does not halt for one person. I will adjust to your absence eventually, but until then, I ask that you do not speak to me." He left Naruto speechless as he went back to his rooms without eating supper.

His palm rubbed over his chest. _I don't think I will ever be able to adjust once I leave, Gaara. But you do not need to know that._

* * *

Itachi's red eyes followed Naruto as he caught up with the blonde and they both entered the dwelling. After a few moments of waiting, he headed back to the Residence, satisfied that the men would stay indoors for the remainder of the day. He didn't know what was going on, but he could see stiffness in the usually relaxed nobleman's shoulders, and certain sadness in the knight's normally jovial eyes. _I wonder what could have possibly happened in a mere day to turn the noble against Naruto like that. This needs much thinking. Perhaps he can be persuaded to aid me in capturing Naruto. Then I could simply turn him over to Deidara, but…they said that his soul had to be happy when they separated Shukaku from the boy's body, otherwise both he and the demon would die. Yes, this definitely needs plenty of thought and planning._

His steps carried him down the curving and connecting passageways of the Residence, until he was once again standing outside Deidara and Tobi's rooms. With a swift knock, he entered and saw that only Deidara was present.

"Where's Tobi?" he asked, taking the seat opposite the Akatsuki member.

"He went to stretch his legs," Deidara replied, leaning back. "He's been in here for nearly a whole day, and wanted to grab some fresh air quick. So, what did you learn today? Anything useful for our plan?"

His eyebrows drew together. "Actually, what I've discovered will possibly hinder us, if anything, Takehiro-san," he said respectfully, remembering Deidara's elevated status among the Sand Warriors.

"Oh?" Deidara's eyebrow lifted thoughtfully. "And what has occurred to make you draw that conclusion?"

"Naruto and Gaara…seem extremely distant. I would dare to say that the stupid little shits had gotten into a fight, from the way that redhead was giving Uzumaki the cold shoulder."

"Hmmm, that is indeed not good." Deidara leaned forward slowly, bracing his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them.

"…Well what should we do?" Itachi asked, wincing at the fact that he had to ask for the blonde's permission before doing anything against the men they were after.

A small smirk curved Deidara's lips as he realized what was upsetting the Uchiha before him the most. "For now, we will do nothing, and hope that all is righted between Gaara and his lover. Until then, we wait."

With a jerk of his head to show that he had heard, the assassin stood and quickly left the room, leaving a shocked Tobi in his wake at the burning anger in his eyes.


	13. Captured

C H A P T E R 13

Oki shifted her glance between Gaara and Naruto before walking over slowly to the blonde knight. _I don't know what's going on, but someone needs to talk some sense into these guys._ She watched as Naruto's cerulean eyes watched her making her way over to him, before looking away again to the pile of letters he was going through again.

"Listen, Uzumaki," Oki sighed, "something's going on between you and Gaara. I don't know what it is, but its making Gaara sad. I haven't seen him this depressed since he was a kid."

Those blue eyes fixed on Oki's form again. "What do you mean, since he was a kid? Why would he have been sad?" Oki watched as true concern filled his expression.

"That's something that Gaara will have to tell you when he's ready. Until then, tell me what the hell is going on." She snatched the current letter he held from his hands, pushing the entire pile away from him. "Can't you tell that every time you insist we keep looking for this Sasuke fellow, a little bit of Gaara seems to recede from you?! Can't you see that the longer you look for your friend, the more of Gaara your leaving behind?"

Naruto looked away, trying to ignore the burning pain in his abdomen. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Oki nearly growled, moving to step in his line of sight again. "I think you do, and it's starting to piss me off, buddy. Gaara and I have been friends since I got my job. That's nearly five years now, and I like to think that I know him better than even he does. And right now, I can tell he is in serious pain. I see how his eyes darken when he watches you. Whatever is hurting him, it has to do with you!"

Her accusatory tone was eating away at Naruto's calm, and he winced at her words. "I didn't mean to hurt him," he whispered.

"Naruto," Oki said softly, sitting beside him and placing her small hand on his arm, "no matter what you meant to do, that is what you have done."  
He sighed softly, slumping forward in the chair. "I don't know what's going on, Oki. I've known Gaara for only three days, and I feel such strong things for him. It frightens me, not only because of how powerful they are but…because I'm not sure exactly what it is I feel for him."

"Well, surely its friendship you feel for him," she replied slowly.

The knight shook his head slowly. "Late at night, when I'm alone in my room, I wonder if what I feel is more than friendship. Then in the daylight, I lose my confidence about my feelings and convince myself that I really do only feel friendship for him."

"Naruto, do you love Gaara?"

"No!" He replied immediately. Looking around to make sure the redhead hadn't heard, he said it again, quietly this time. "No, I don't love Gaara."

Staring at him strangely, Oki considered her options. _To any idiot, its obvious Naruto is lying, even if only to himself. He loves Gaara, and even though I'm not sure he deserves someone such as Gaara, Gaara deserves someone who can love him for who he is. If that man is Naruto, then who am I to complain?_ "Naruto," she said, earning his attention again. "You're lying."

His eyes widened with shock. "I'm not. I don't love him." He sucked in a soft breath, wincing again slightly. _Why does my chest always clench when I say those words?_

Oki stood swiftly, angry again. "Naruto, if you don't smarten up soon and realize that you love Gaara, I will deal with you personally. I will not allow you to hurt my friend any more." Turning away, she quickly walked back to Gaara to help him sort through his piles.

Naruto watched her, but soon found his eyes riveted on the noble that she so boldly protected. Sighing, he cupped his face in his palms. _I'm certain I've correctly judged my feelings…but what if I'm wrong?_

* * *

Deidara snuggled with Tobi on the bed, gliding his tongue along the raven-haired man's throat, deeply aroused by the answering groan.

"Mmmm, Tobi," he purred softly, "I think you need to be punished, because you've been a bad, bad boy." His mouth-hand slipped into the fellow Akatsuki's pants, licking his long, hard length.

The mask wearer groaned again. "T-Takehiro-sama!" He arched up; one hand gripping the back of Deidara's shirt while the other clutched the bed sheets. He chest rose and fell fast as he panted, and he began to thrust weakly against the hand holding him.

Deidara allowed the mouth-hand to slowly encase the head of Tobi's erection, sucking and licking it gently. "Tobi," he murmured against the boy's lips, before taking them in a hard, hot kiss, his tongue thrusting into Tobi's willing mouth. "You're mine," he fairly growled, his fingertips gliding along his length as his mouth-hand continued to pleasure the writhing man before him.

"Y-yes!" Tobi cried out, jerking under Deidara's touch. "I'm only yours, Takehiro-sama, f-forever and always!" He screamed out softly as he came within Deidara's mouth-hand, and went limp on the bed. He shivered slightly when he felt Deidara move above him and remove both their pants.

"Mmm, I love hearing you say that," he purred, allowing his hand to coat his own erection with Tobi's semen. He gripped the boy's hips, lifting them to press himself against the curve of his ass. When Tobi shivered again, and lifted his legs to lay them over Deidara's shoulders, he moaned loudly, and rubbed against Tobi's aching entrance.

"P-please Takehiro…d-don't make me wait any l-longer," he cried softly, pressing down hard on the artist's pulsing cockstand.

Groaning loudly, Deidara thrust forward hard when a crash from behind him made him jerk around, disengaging himself from Tobi's luscious body to quickly whip the blankets over their nude forms, protecting him from the sight of whoever had broken into their room.

Itachi stood, glaring angrily at the pair. "Our mission is to defeat Naruto and successfully capture the spirit in Gaara's body, and all you two do is fuck like bunnies."

Deidara glared right back, standing up, uncaring of his nakedness as he pulled on his pants after making sure the covers kept Tobi hidden from Itachi roving eyes. "By your sudden entrance, am I to understand there's a development, Itachi? It has been but a day, it cannot be that Gaara's emotions have returned to their happy state." He crossed his arms, angered that Itachi would invade his and Tobi's privacy like this. _Honestly, has the man no decency? Claiming we 'fuck like bunnies'. This is first time since Naruto showed up in Suna that I have the opportunity to do more than sneak a kiss with him._

Itachi had the right mind to look away as he struggled to think of a reasonable lie. "I have sighted the pair walking together towards the Correspondence Sect of the Residence. They appeared to be getting along a great deal greater that yesterday evening. I am led to believe Gaara was merely in a bit of a snit last night." _Well, I did see them walking together…at least an arm's length apart from each other. But they were headed to the Correspondence Sect. What could they possibly be looking for there? Perhaps a letter from someone conspiring with them to get Sasuke away from me?_ He felt anger flood through his veins at the thought.

Deidara's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I do believe your lying, Itachi."

He would have gasped indignantly if that were his style. Instead he merely scowled at the blonde. "You dare suggest I would mislead you on the occurrences of the little shit and his lover?"

"I do," Deidara replied offhandedly, turning away to look out the window. He saw from the corner of his eye that Tobi was trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. It had worked, if only with Itachi, who continued to glare daggers into Deidara's back. "Until I myself have witnessed that Gaara is once again on good terms with Naruto, you will not move against them."

_Bastard_, Itachi thought. Without another word he left the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

Sighing, Deidara returned to bed and to Tobi, no longer in the mood for anything but a rest with his lover.

* * *

He walked down the hallway, steps soft and swift. _He thinks he can just order me around like a puppet? Well he can think again. I mean to discover where Sasuke is. It is likely that the blonde idiot has confided in his lover, Gaara. And Gaara will be far easier to manipulate than the knight._ Dark thoughts swirling in his mind, Itachi stalked out into the night, his dark aura surrounding his entire being.

_

* * *

_

Remember what I said.

Oki's last words to him continued to remind Naruto that he had to somehow fix what he done to his and Gaara's relationship.

The knight walked with careful steps, just behind the noble, who walked leisurely back to the mansion, leaving Naruto with plenty of time to think. _Is it possible that I care for Gaara as more that a friend? It's certainly not the same as my feelings for Sasuke-__teme__. No matter what Gaara thinks, I would do anything he asked of me…even stop looking for Sasuke. It's not like Sasuke wants to be found. Everything points to him _not_ wanting me to find him. What if…to Sasuke, it's as if I don't exist anymore? To continue my search, when I have the opportunity to have everything I've ever wanted, would be just stupid. With Gaara…I could finally have the family I've always wanted. Sure, no one would approve of us, but since when did I give a fuck about stuff like that? We could get married, and live here. Or we could move far away. We could adopt a bunch of orphans like me, and raise them to not make the same mistakes as their parents. Or rather, one of their parents,_ Naruto thought ruefully, recognizing the fact that it had been _he_, not Gaara, who had ruined the bud of love that had been growing between them.

_I'd be a good father. And Gaara would be a good father too. Far better than I. But most importantly, I would have Gaara with me always. And he would have me._ A grin split Naruto's face. _I want to belong to someone like Gaara, and have them belong to me. But…_His face became pained as he realized again that he still had reparations to make. He sped up a bit, hoping to catch up to Gaara, who had since gotten farther ahead. His mouth opened to call the redhead's name when a sudden noise had him turning swiftly towards a nearby doorway beside Gaara, staring at it intensely.

Gaara turned around, curious as to why Naruto's rushing footsteps had suddenly stopped. "Naruto, what's wrong – " His words were cut off sharply as a hand came out of the darkness and grabbed a handful of hair and jerked his head roughly, another hard hand coming up to cover his mouth with a cloth. He chocked as the sickly sweet scent of chloroform filled his nostrils and caused him to go limp.

"Gaara!!" Naruto cried, rushing forward and drawing his sword, running desperately toward the sight of Gaara's pale form draped limply over the muscular arm of a man that the knight recognized as the assassin that had been following him.

Drawing a knife swiftly, Itachi pressed it to the noble's jugular, grinning maliciously. "If you want him back, you stupid fuck, then bring me news of Sasuke's whereabouts. You have until tomorrow morning. If you don't get me what I want, I'll kill this little shit and rid the town of the monster that lurks within its walls."

Naruto stood poised to strike, but was held back by the prospect of Itachi killing Gaara right then and there. At least if he backed down, he would time to plan a way of rescuing the man he had finally realized the truth about. _Why do I always seem to have the worst luck? I finally realize I want to spend the rest of my life with Gaara, and this happens._ "Where should I come with the information?" he asked, even knowing he had no idea where the raven-haired bastard was.

A smirk stole across Itachi's features, revelling in his victory. "Come to the Residence tomorrow morning. I will find you." Knowing Naruto wouldn't follow, Itachi ungraciously tossed Gaara over his shoulder and disappeared into the night.

The knight's fist clenched together tightly, and blood ran from his palms as his nails pierced the skin. "Don't worry Gaara. I'll come for you, whether I gain knowledge of where Sasuke is or not."


	14. Help

C H A P T E R 14

Oki sighed softly, standing up and straightening her back, creating three satisfying pops. Slumping forward again, she slowly gathered together all the paper work she, Naruto, and Gaara had looked through that day.

_Naruto better make up with Gaara, or I'll kick him in places where it hurts_, she huffed to herself, blowing her bangs out of her face. She put some of the stacks back into their boxes, hefting one onto her hip and turning around.

_I know Naruto loves Gaara, and judging by the way my friend looks at that stupid knight, then he feels the same way_. She walked across the room slowly, and put the box back in its proper place. Facing the room again, she scowled at the disarray.

_They had to walk in when I was rearranging my office, and then make an even bigger mess! Uhhh!_ Stomping forward, the stress and her displeasure with Naruto making her mood sour, Oki grabbed more of the correspondence and put them in their boxes, nearly tossing them back into their spots. She fell into her office chair after, slumping forward tiredly.

_I put in way too many hours at this place. But there's no one else qualified to take over some of my duties, so I'll just have to continue on my merry way_. She snorted quietly. _I can't imagine what they'll do when I'm gone. It'll take them forever to train someone to go through the spy notes as quickly as I do. Decades even!_ This little fact usually made her extremely needed, and she loved feeling like her do something to help the people she loved, but today she was just tired. It wasn't often that her late night caught up with her, but it did happen. And today seemed to be that day.

_I hope no one comes rushing in with work for me to do. I'm beat. I think I'll need to take a couple days to rest before I can do even one more thing_. A low growl escaped her lips at the desperate knock on her door.

"I thought I said I wasn't to be disturbed tonight," she barked, swiftly making her way to the door. She threw it open and blinked with surprise, seeing Naruto on her doorstep.

"Please," he panted, "I need your help."

* * *

Gaara woke up slowly, and winced at the flash of pain behind his eyes. He opened them slowly, and quickly scanned his surrounded. Bound and gagged, the noble was strapped tightly into a chair, his legs spread and tied to the front legs of the chair. Spotting the door, he flinched and tucked his face into his shoulder as a blinding light entered his field of vision, marking the opening of said door. He sighed softly when it closed again.

"So you're awake. That's good, its no fun torturing people when they're still unconscious," Itachi said loudly, gesturing to the array of knives and pliers on the silver tray placed atop the table in the corner. Gaara's eyes widened as he realized the situation.

Walking forward slowly, Itachi grabbed the redhead's chin in his hand and jerked his face around so that he was looking into his pale blue eyes. "Of course, there's always other alternatives that could be pleasurable for both of us," he purred, lightly stroking Gaara's cheek. "What do you say about that?" Wanting to hear the answer, Itachi pulled down the gag over the other man's mouth.

Gaara immediately spat in his face. "Torture me all you want, you'll never get what you seek!" His eyes blazed with fury, and his muscles tensed with his intense desire to kill the evil creature before him.

Itachi raised a hand and slowly wiped the trail of saliva off his face, grimacing as he rubbed it off his palm with a handkerchief. "And just what do I want, pray tell?" Stepping away, the assassin idly picked up a deadly set of pliers with teeth, used to sever fingers. He twirled it slowly, making sure Gaara could see it and imagine what its possible uses would be.

Not willing to back down, even with the fear slowly invading his heart, the nobleman said strongly, "You're the assassin Naruto spoke of. You seek his death." He was shocked when Itachi's laughter filled the room.

"Ahh, but that is only part of what I seek. And I believe that you hold the key to getting something else I want." Putting down the pliers, he picked up another that would be used to pull out fingernails.

The sand user's heart rate began to increase, and he struggled to keep his voice steady. "W-what else do y-you seek?" He winced when Itachi stepped up and roughly slapped his face, realizing that the torture had finally begun.

"Why, I want my brother of course. That little bastard has been a thorn in my side since I killed our slut of a mother and bastard of a father. Of course, they had to curse me with their dying breath, and the only way to remove the curse is to destroy the last Uchiha. Now, I can't do that without having my brother, can I?" Kneeling in front of Gaara, Itachi studied him intently. "You know where he is. Now, you can either make this easy on yourself and tell me what you know; or you can make it more fun for me, and hold back. I do so love prying information from people, and I'll especially like making these tid-bits of knowledge fall from your sweet lips." Leaning forward, Itachi ran his rough tongue over said lips, grinning when Gaara pulled back in disgust.

"I'll never co-operate with you! Naruto will save me." Gaara held stubbornly to his resolve, and winced when Itachi grabbed his manhood in a strong grip, digging his nails in slightly. _I will not make a noise. I will not satisfy him._

"Mmmm, so you're taking the tough road, eh? This is going to be fun," Itachi purred, brandishing the pliers in his free hand. "Now tell me, left or right?"

"What are you talking about – " Gaara's words were cut off swiftly in his need to bite his lip to stay silent as Itachi snapped the pliers closed on a fingernail and violently ripped it out.

* * *

Tobi followed closely behind Deidara, nodding at people in an attempt to calm their shock as they ran past.

"Where are we going again, Takehiro-sama?" the masked man asked, increasing his pace slightly to walk abreast of the artist.

"I already told you, Tobi. When Itachi left this afternoon, something wasn't right with him. I can't help but have a little doubt that he will follow my orders." Deidara stared ahead, glaring at everyone they passed as if they had someone helped the Uchiha thwart his plans. _Honestly, he couldn't wait another couple weeks? Its not like Sasuke will suddenly disappear off the face of the planet. He would still have discovered his whereabouts, but he's just too impatient, the bastard. Why isn't Kisame with him for Kami's sake?!_

_Now, where to look first?_ Changing directions swiftly, Deidara picked up his speed and quickly came out into the evening light. "Tobi, I want you to stay here."

"Why?" Tobi whispered softly, stepping forward to slip his hand into Deidara's. He was relieved when he felt the answering pressure as the blonde lightly squeezed his hand.

"Because I don't know what Itachi is up to, and I don't want you to be put in danger," was his answer.

Tobi glared through the mask, straightening his back to stand as tall as he possibly could. "I'm strong, Takehiro! I could be of use to you. Don't just leave me back here, when I could come and aid you."

Turning angrily toward the raven-haired youth, Deidara swept aside the mask and grabbed Tobi's face in both hands. "I don't want you to possibly get hurt, you idiot! At least if you stay here, I'll know that you'll be safe."

Tobi's dark black eyes softened. "Takehiro-sama," he whispered, leaning up to lightly slide his lips across Deidara's. "What if you were to be hurt?"

Deidara snorted, pulling Tobi into a tight embrace. "I don't care what happens to me," he murmured, but he could already see where the little imp was going. _Foolish boy. But smart. I guess I'll just have to bring him with me._

Sighing softly, he quickly interrupted Tobi before he could be made an even bigger fool. "All right, you can come. But at the first hint that Itachi means to kill Gaara, I want you to run, got it?" He was rewarded for his leniency with Tobi's quick nod. "Good, then let's go to the Correspondence Sect."

"The Correspondence Sect?" Tobi asked, hurrying forward to catch up as Deidara began running again. "Why, who is there that we need to see?"

Staring straight ahead with intense concentration, Deidara said quickly, "Naruto."


	15. Forever

C H A P T E R 15

Gaara panted, wincing as his left eye began to swell. _Kami, I don't know how much more I can take_. The noble sat in the chair, his shirt long since having been ripped away. His pale flesh shone in the light as sweat pearled on his skin, making the burning sensation radiating from the knife cuts on his chest intensify. With his arms still tied behind his back, Gaara sat open to all attacks, vulnerable to Itachi's aggressive actions.

Stretching out his fingers, the redhead had to hold in a soft cry as pain lanced up his arms. Rope burns encircled both his wrists, his bindings having cut into his smooth flesh from repeated attempts to break free. He shifted uneasily at the empty feeling the made itself known on three of his fingertips, and Gaara realized it was from the removal of his nails. His head fell forward tiredly as he continued to mentally inspect all his wounds.

Gaara could taste blood in his mouth, and knew it was from when he had bitten into his tongue to keep silent as Itachi tortured him. Burn marks dotted over his skin from his shoulders to his belly, and bruises accompanied them over his stomach and on his neck, from when the assassin had attempted forcing him to talk through strangulation. Along with the rapidly growing black eye, Gaara's lip was bleeding from when Itachi had punched him repeatedly in the face and in the stomach, hoping to cause internal bleeding.

Now, he sat in the room alone, allowed to rest before Itachi came back, supposedly with the intent to continue his 'torture' of Gaara. Slumping forward in the chair, the nobleman inhaled slowly, trying to fight the flood of tears that threatened to escape.

_Naruto isn't coming for me. If that is what he intended, surely he would have arrived by now. He is probably relieved that I'm no longer a nuisance to him. Itachi was wrong to think I would know anything. Even if Naruto had found anything pertaining to Sasuke's whereabouts, I doubt he would tell me. I've been nothing but a hindrance to him. If I had not insisted he look through our correspondence, Naruto surely would have left by now to continue his search. And now, I will surely die for trying to help him. But I cannot give in and admit my ignorance. I need to give Naruto as much time as I can. _

Gaara lifted his head slowly when the door began to open again, and he was left saddened and defeated at the sight of Itachi standing in the doorway.

"Has the little princess decided to tell me what I want yet?" the raven-haired man questioned, stepping forward and closing the entrance to the room, knowing that each time he did, Gaara's hope for escape died.

Straightening his back, Gaara spoke strongly. "No, you prick, I haven't. You'll never get me to talk."

Itachi's cunning eyes lit up slightly, and he stepped up behind the noble, breathing softly on his neck. "Well, my dear, then I suppose I'll just have to continue. And now that you mentioned it, I forgot that I had told you there were be some sexual gratification in all this. Forgive me for not remembering." Gaara's breath caught in his throat as Itachi roughly seized his chin in one hand and jerked him around, crushing his hard lips against Gaara's.

Itachi glided his tongue over Gaara's soft lips, and appreciatively lapped up the blood dripping from his cut. He shoved his tongue past the other man's lips, and had only a moment to enjoy his exploration of Gaara's mouth before he cried out in pain and pulled back, surprised at the man's actions. _The little asshole bit clean through my tongue!_

Turning his head aside with disgust, Gaara spat out the tip of Itachi's tongue, wishing he had a cup of water to rinse his mouth with. He nearly groaned what Itachi slapped him hard across the face, and he watched through his right eye as the evil creature walked back in front of him.

"You not going to be able to enjoy this now, dearest brat," Itachi hissed, spitting out blood. He bent over slowly, so they were face to face. "I was going to make this good for you, but because you've been a naughty boy, I'm going to have to turn it into a punishment instead."

This time, Gaara couldn't help but cry out at the sensation of being ripped apart.

* * *

Naruto's heart beat wildly as he walked down the poorly lit hallway, his mind repeating what had happened that afternoon.

_"Here, Naruto, take this with you to give to the assassin," Oki said softly, handing him a piece of paper. He read through it quickly._

_" 'News of a raven-haired demon. Attacked village. Burned it. Travelled with a man controlling snakes. Send help ASAP.' Do you really think this will work, Oki?" he asked, sitting on her office floor, as the chairs were occupied with boxes and stacks of papers._

_"Yes. If not, it will at least get you within reach of Gaara. I'm assuming he'll either take you to Gaara, or bring our friend with him." Oki's pulse hammered in her veins at the other possibility. _What if Gaara is already…?_ Her chest seized painfully. _No, he's alive, I know it.

_"More than a friend," he whispered back, looking down._

_"Oh, Naruto, you have the worst timing," she cried, falling to her knees to hug him around his neck.  
Naruto slowly lifted his arms around her body, holding her close. He laughed softly, "Yeah, I know." He jerked around when the door slammed open, and a blonde man with a high ponytail, and a masked man, walked into the room._

_"I need to speak to Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde man said, stepping forward. His gaze travelled between the hugging pair._

_Standing slowly, Naruto narrowed his eyes at the intruder. "That's me. What do you want?" _

_"Takehiro-sama knows where you can find the man you seek!" Tobi piped up, jumping out from behind the taller man, who sighed and cupped his forehead in a large palm._

_"Takehiro…? You're the man who was responsible for Gaara losing his position as Head Elder!" Oki cried, running forward to pound her fists against his chest._

_"Silence, woman!" He yelled, grabbing her wrists in an iron grip. "Do you want to know the location of Gaara or not?" He glared down at her, and had the satisfaction of see her gulp before quickly nodding. He turned his attention back to Naruto, who was also nodding slowly; who didn't even realize that the person he sought was no longer Sasuke, but the Sheik of Suna. Gaara._

_"Where is he?" Naruto whispered, stepping toward the trio by the doorway. _If what Oki just said is true, then I shouldn't trust this man but…what choice do I have?

_"He will most likely be in one of the jail cells beneath the Residence." Takehiro's blue eyes stared into Naruto's hard, as if to convince him that his words could be trusted._

_Oki gasped softly. "How do you know -?"_

_Tobi cut her off quickly. "Takehiro-sama has been working within Suna for many years. Takehiro-sama knows everything." His little body had never ceased moving since he entered the room, always bouncing back and forth from foot to foot. _

_Naruto gripped Oki's shoulder tightly. "It matters not how you know, only that you are sure that what you're saying is true."_

_Again, Takehiro's gaze seemed to be trying to tell Naruto to believe in him. "What I say is true. Gaara is most likely to be there. But if you do not hurry, I doubt you will find him in one piece. Itachi is known to be…ruthless when he wants something."_

_"How do you know who he is?" Naruto asked, suspicious. _The assassin is part of the organization known as Akatsuki, but how could this Takehiro man know that?

_"Does it truly matter? All can be explained later, but right now, we must _hurry_!" Turning his heel, Takehiro quickly left the room, Tobi following right behind him._

_"Naruto," Oki whispered, "You must go with them! This might be your only chance to save Gaara before sunrise! We must take this risk."_

_"I know," he replied, looking at the floor. "I will go with them."_

_"Take the note with you, just in case you don't find Gaara." Oki let her tears fall silently as she handed him the fake correspondence. "That way you won't have to waste time coming back here to get it."_

_Smiling slightly, Naruto nodded. "Okay. Goodbye, Oki. Know this. If I cannot return with Gaara, I will not return at all." Giving her a quick hug, Naruto ran to catch up with the recently departed pair._

_"Good luck, Naruto," she whispered._

Deidara and Tobi had long since directed Naruto as to where he would have to go, and had then disappeared. _Where the hell are they? Are they scared of Itachi?_ He didn't like that thought. _But I can't be frightened. If Itachi knows I'm frightened, I'm done for. But I can't help the fear that enters my heart at the thought that I'll never be able to tell Gaara how much I truly love him._ Naruto's heart clenched painfully. Suddenly, he heard whimpers coming from a doorway at the end of the hall.

Running forward, Naruto paused, apprehensive of a trap. When the pitiful noises increased though, he quickly shoved open the door and stood there, speechless.

Gaara sat bound to a chair, his pants a rumpled mess and his chest criss-crossed with wounds and burns. His beautiful, pale flesh was discoloured with bruises, and Naruto watched as a drop of blood slowly leaked out of his lip and hit the floor with a dull 'splat'. His heart seized up again, and Naruto took jerky steps towards his love, wondering if the man was still alive.

"Gaara…" he whispered painfully, dropping to his knees in front of him. He felt bile rise in his throat when a twisted smile played across Gaara's split lip, forcing more blood from the wound.

"You're not here," the nobleman whispered. "You're just another mind trick played by Itachi. Naruto is long gone, looking for Sasuke. You're just my imagination, playing jokes on me to try and raise my spirits. I won't let my hope be crushed again. Not ever again," he finished, so softly that Naruto had to strain to hear.

"No, Gaara! I am here! I'm here and I love you. I don't care about Sasuke anymore, I don't!" Naruto cried, gripping his upper arms tightly. When Gaara cried out loudly and jerked his head up, Naruto cringed, but didn't pull away. _His eyes…there's no life in his eyes anymore. _

Gaara's eyes stared into Naruto's shakily, before he fell as far forward as he could into his arms, weeping openly. "Naruto!" he cried. His shoulders shook as he pressed his face against Naruto's neck, his tears quickly soaking into Naruto's shirt.

The knight wrapped his arms tightly around Gaara's delicate frame, breathing in the strangely untainted scent that clung to his red locks. "Gaara, I'm gonna get you out of here!" Gently pushing him back into the chair, Naruto quickly leaned down and untied the nobleman's legs, before standing and running behind the chair, untying his wrists gently. Gaara immediately brought his hands around to rub circulation back into his hands and arms, while Naruto did the same with his legs.

"C'mon, lets get out of here!" Naruto whispered hoarsely, still greatly moved by the state the man was in. Pulling off his tunic, he quickly put it on Gaara's shaking form. "It's not much," he said softly, "but it's better than standing there half naked, eh?" When he received Gaara's tremulous smile in answer, Naruto wrapped his arm around the smaller man's shoulders, turning him towards the doorway.

"You two aren't going anywhere." Itachi stood in the light, blocking the only exit from the room with an evil grin on his face. "So you've finally come to get him, have you? Too little, too late. I must say, I can see why you two are romantically involved. He's a very delicious lay, even if a tad unresponsive. But that's my fault," he continued, gesturing with his hand, "I didn't want to bring him pleasure. Only my own."

"You bastard!" Naruto yelled, drawing his sword and swiftly putting Gaara behind him. "How dare you touch him?!"

Itachi shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I dare many things. There's not much you can do about it now anyways. And Gaara dear," the assassin purred, grinning when Gaara took a step back and wrapped his arms around himself, "I do hope I didn't scar you too badly. Can't have Naruto being left unsatisfied either." His laughter ran off the walls as the redhead shifted his uneasy gaze upon Naruto. "But then, neither of you will leave this place alive, so I don't need to worry about that." Turning around, Itachi began to walk back down the hallway, but his laughter stayed behind, echoing within Gaara's head.

"Where are you going, you son of a bitch?!" Naruto called after Itachi, running forward, his sword held high.

Itachi swiftly turned around as Naruto neared him, and brought his knee up into the knight's unprotected stomach. When he fell to his knees, Itachi crouched in front of him. "I'm not done having fun yet," he replied, gliding a pale finger down Naruto's tanned cheek. "I'm going to let you try to take Gaara out, but I'll be waiting for you at the end. Then, the real fun will begin." Standing again, Itachi seemed to vanish into the air. Glancing around swiftly, Naruto couldn't see him.

Turning around, the blonde saw that Gaara had stepped out of the room, but was looking around himself like a shocked deer. _Kami, I don't want to know what Itachi did to him in there that would make him so frightened. My Gaara isn't afraid of anything._ Moving towards him, Naruto reached out a hand but stopped when Gaara pulled away swiftly, staring at him with unseeing eyes.

"It's me, Gaara. It's Naruto. C'mon, I'm taking you home." Taking Gaara's hand slowly, Naruto began to walk with him down the hall, sword in hand.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Gaara murmured to himself, "Itachi will come. He'll get us and stop us." Looking back behind him, Gaara felt a certain security lay within the walls of his cell, and tried to pull away from Naruto.

"Gaara, look at me," Naruto insisted, bring his face in front of the noble's. "I will protect you from him. No more harm will come to you." Releasing Gaara's hand, Naruto slowly brought it up to lightly cup his cheek, and rubbed his thumb over Gaara's split lip. "I swear on my life, I will be there for you, from now on."

Looking up at Naruto, Gaara saw complete and utter sincerity. "Forever?" he whispered, leaning in to the knight's touch.

"Yes," Naruto murmured, "forever." He moved his head forward and laid his lips on Gaara's briefly, tenderly. Pulling away again, Naruto took Gaara's hand once more. "Now come, we must leave."


	16. Murder

C H A P T E R 16

With his hand clasped within the strong warmth of Naruto's larger hand, Gaara followed through the hallways, running when he ran, and walking when he walked. All the while, the same thoughts ran through his head.

_This is too effortless. Itachi has something up his sleeve, I just know it._ Peeking through his thick lashes at Naruto's confident expression, Gaara wondered what he was thinking. _Does my knight have a plan?_ He gave a mental snort. _That would be the first. But oh, to experience such relaxation again. I feel as if I haven't laughed in centuries._ Gaara's eyes were once again drawn to the blonde, as he began a casual assessment of his body.

_Naruto is so very strong, but…Itachi is stronger. I judge myself as an equal to my knight, yet that bastard easily overpowered me. _Feeling a growing resent building in his heart, Gaara squashed it quickly, focusing on the facts. _He may have overpowered me, but I was taken by surprise. Admittedly, I had let this silly blonde, _Gaara smiled slightly, _creep his way under my skin until I couldn't think straight. But, now that I know he returns my love, I think that together, we'll be able to take on Itachi. I just hope I don't freeze up again like I did in front of the cell. _The nobleman shivered in recollection.

"Are you cold?" Naruto asked softly, seeing the shudder that racked the smaller man's frame. Even though he had no more clothing he could give to the redhead, as he was down to his pants and boots, Naruto would have thought of something to keep the other warm.

"No, Naruto, I'm fine," Gaara whispered, staring straight ahead. "I just want to get out of here."

"So do I." Naruto clasped his hand around the noble's more surely, pulling him forward to a faster trot. "We're almost there."

"Then…Itachi."

"Yes," the knight murmured softly. "Then Itachi." Gaara was surprised at the power behind the murderous glint that entered the blonde's eyes.

* * *

Itachi sat on a large boulder outside the Residence, painting his nails on his left hand slowly. He smiled with satisfaction as the last streak of black went on perfectly, leaving his nails covered in a smooth coat of black, and he shook them lightly in the air before blowing on them, in hopes that they would dry faster.

"Well, well, well. Ever the girly girl, eh Itachi?" Deidara said snidely, walking forward with hands in his front pockets. His eyes flicked over Tobi, who skipped ahead of him.

Itachi scowled, raising his hands to blow on them again. "I'm not the only one who paints their nails, Deidara-_chan_." He was pleased when Deidara's smirk was replaced with a scowl.

"You are not to call me that here, Itachi. I'm Takehiro to you unless in closed quarters." Deidara ran a hand over his ponytail, knowing inwardly that his more unmanly attributes only made him that much _more_ masculine. Have a firm physique didn't hurt either, the artists thought smugly, recounting the many times Tobi had complimented his body.

Itachi waved a hand dismissively. "It matters not, soon I'll be outa here, and you can worry about things like that." He touched a testing finger to a splotch of black on his nail, and was pleased when it came away unmarked.

"Oh? And why is that?" Trying not to let his anger show, Deidara sat on the stone near Itachi, and gave Tobi's rump an appreciative squeeze when he ran past, causing the younger man to giggle madly.

Itachi jerked his head towards the entrance leading into the tunnels beneath the Residence. "Naruto and Gaara will be coming out of their very soon, and then, it will be a simple matter of making the boy tell me where Sasuke is. Now that you are here, that will be infinitely easier."

Deidara studied his nails with sudden interest. "And why, pray tell, do you think I would help you defeat them, Itachi?"

Spinning his head around swiftly, the assassin stared at his fellow Akatsuki through narrowed eyes. "Because we are on the same agenda," he hissed softly, Sharingan eyes activating instantly at the unvoiced threat.

"No, Itachi, we don't have the same agenda," the blonde murmured, looking down to purposefully avoid the man's eyes. "You see, we were working together, until you betrayed me and my mission by capturing Gaara. Now, I am not but an enemy. Recovering Gaara's demon is far more important than locating an errant younger brother who has no obvious interest in ever being found."

Itachi growled softly. "You bastard, I thought you were on my side," he said with agitation as he felt all his plans crumbling around him.

Deidara laughed mockingly at the raven's stupidity. "No, my sweet fool, I was never on your side. None of the Akatsuki ever gave any attention to your mission to find your brother, but now that you have disrupted our plans, I'm afraid that you've become a bit of a problem. You'll either have to be removed, or you'll have to give up your task of locating Sasuke."

The dark-haired monster leaned back against the rock, his hands resting in his pockets. "I'm afraid I cannot stop my search."

A soft sigh was released from the man's mouth. "I thought as such." Jumping swiftly off the boulder, Deidara landed a short distance away, directly in front of the doorway leading below the Residence.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked in irritation, not understanding his superior's sudden choice of action.

"I cannot allow you to harm Shukaku or Gaara, thus, I will not let you near him. Right, Tobi?" Itachi whirled when another presence was made known.

"Takehiro-sama is right. Tobi will not let Itachi harm Gaara, or Naruto," the orange-masked man said softly in afterthought.

Another growl ripped through the air from Itachi throat, and he glared daggers at the blonde. "Fine, if that's the way things will go, I'll just have to take another hostage. This time, someone that _you_ hold dear, _Deidara_-sama." Turning on his heel, Itachi lunged through the air, hidden blade drawn and headed straight for Tobi's exposed and vulnerable gullet.

A startled curse passed Deidara's lips, wondering why Itachi would be that stupid.

* * *

"Look, Gaara!" Naruto cried, pointing ahead with his free hand. "There's the exit!"

If possibly, Gaara couldn't have ever been happier to see the glare of the sun reflecting in his eyes. "Naruto," he whispered softly, "having now seen the sun, I'm sure we can defeat Itachi, because I never want to be alone in the darkness again."

"You'll never be alone, Gaara," Naruto whispered softly, his breath tickling the noble's ear as he leaned in close, "because I'll always be with you." Grinning, he pulled on the redhead's hand, tugging him towards the exit excitedly. "C'mon, Gaara," He cajoled, and was pleased when his smile was mirrored on Gaara's smooth face.

Racing towards the door with Gaara right on his heels, Naruto was jerked to a sudden stop when a body swiftly blocked the doorway, cutting off the light source and plunging them into darkness. Tensing immediately, and pulling his lover up close to his side, the knight relaxed at Deidara's familiar voice.

"What is Takehiro-san doing here?" Gaara asked suddenly, also recognizing the voice, and a small scowl settled on his features. _Tell me that bastard isn't in league with Itachi. He may be a prick, but I thought he was at least honourable._

"Don't worry," Naruto reassured, wrapped an arm securely around the man's waist. "He's on our side."

They continued walking down the now dimly lit corridor, and raised their eyes to stare into Deidara's as the man turned around and looked down at them.

"About time you showed up," he said grumpily. "Itachi's being a damn jackass, and doesn't want to give up without a fight." He jerked his head in Tobi's and Itachi's general direction, watching as the knight slowly moved in front of Gaara, and the artist couldn't help but nod with approval. _Always protect what you love,_ he thought favourably, and then smirked as Gaara tried to wiggle his way back to Naruto's side. _Even if they don't appreciate it and continue to get into trouble._

* * *

Itachi let out a soft noise of confusion as he passed right through Tobi's body. A soft giggle was his answer, as he turned around to glare at the smaller boy.

"Itachi-san should surrender before he is killed," Tobi's sweet voice sang, standing absolutely still and merely dodging as the assassin once again tried to pierce his soft flesh with his knife.

"You'll never win, Itachi," Naruto's voice called out angrily, and the raven turned in surprise to see the knight standing assertively beside the dip shit and the traitor. Red coated his vision as he took measured steps towards the group but was halted as he felt a bright yellow aura pierce his barriers. He ducked just in time as Tobi launched himself towards him. At the sudden change, Tobi fell in a perfect somersault, and landed on the balls of his feet, spinning around to face Itachi once again.

"Enough, Tobi," Deidara said softly. "I think Naruto wants to finish this."

Nodding his acceptance, the orange-masked boy quickly appeared by his lover's side, sliding his hand into the strong comfort of the older man's.

Drawing his sword calculatingly, Naruto stepped towards the man who had been following him for so many years. He nodded grimly as Itachi slowly removed all his hidden knives, drawing his own sword as well.

"Tell me where Sasuke is," Itachi growled menacingly, "or I'll kill you and your monster of a lover."

"I don't take well to threats," Naruto said heatedly, the ice in his eyes enough to chill even Deidara. "Why are you searching for him anyway?"

"He's the only one who can break this curse on me. My stupid, fuckin' bastard of a brother can control my very soul if I do not defeat him." Roaring with rage, Itachi swung forward with his blade, and Naruto's came up easily in a simple block.

"I didn't know he was your brother. Though I can see why he ran away, if he had you to come home to." Naruto swiftly swung around in a wide arc, his sword aimed to slice off Itachi's head, but he too was met with resistance as the assassin quickly parried the attack.

"You have no idea what our home was like, asshole. Rest assured, you will not live long enough to find out, for I will kill you and learn his location." Kicking up off the ground on strong legs, Itachi let out a blood-curdling yell as he came spiralling back down to earth, sword arm aimed at Naruto's heart.

With swift moves, Naruto arched his back down to the ground, supporting himself on one arm as Itachi sailed right over him. Turning around smugly to stare at the glaring assassin, he spoke again. "Maybe. But I highly doubt it."

No more words were used as the two battled it out. Each was evenly match, as one attacked and the other dodged. They circled each other warily as the afternoon sun beat down on them, forcing sweat from their aching bodies to run down to mix with their blood. Set in crouching positions, they charge each other like bulls, swords raised high over their heads as their cries rent the air in two, the swords slicing down in swift motions, only to get caught together as they brought their face close.

"Why won't you just die?" Itachi hissed angrily, shoving with all his might on his sword, but Naruto held fast.

"Because my will to live is far to strong," the knight answered, kicking out with his feet to knock Itachi off his. As the assassin fell onto his back, Naruto levelled his sword on the man's throat, threatening to stab through his esophagus and end his miserable life. "I will not kill you," he said softly, staring into those hated black eyes, "But know this. If you ever come near Gaara again, I'll end you." Turning around and sheathing his sword, Naruto looked over his shoulder haughtily as he walked away. "And know this, also. I never knew Sasuke's whereabouts. You'll just have to keep on looking." Turning away, the knight continued towards Gaara.

Yelling angrily, Itachi was so fast that he was on his feet and running toward Naruto with his sword raised to deal a killing blow before anyone could even realize what was going on.

"Naruto!!" Gaara cried, his arms coming up in as an instinctive urge to protect what was his flowed through his body. He ran towards the blonde, his eyes opened wide in fear as he flew into Naruto's chest, knocking them both to the ground. Clinging to the bigger man's strong shoulders, Gaara waiting for the downward swiped of a sword to cut into his flesh. When it didn't come, both he and Naruto looked up slowly to see Itachi suspended above them in a cocoon of sand.

Raising his hand slowly, the nobleman stared intensely at the assassin as he gradually clenched his fingers into a tight fist. He watched dispassionately as the evil man writhed in the enveloping sand, crying out silently as his ribs were crushed inwards, piercing his organs.

With a final twist of his wrist, the sand moved to cover Itachi head and convulsed around the wiggling body, as Itachi exploded within the confining walls, his blood dripping slowly out onto the ground below.

"Gaara," the knight whispered hoarsely, watching as he lowered his arm, the sand dropping its cargo as it returned to its place on the earth, scattering Itachi's blood to the winds.

Turning hollow eyes towards the blonde, he shook his head as his mind returned to himself. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I bet you didn't know I could do things like that. Admittedly, I had forgotten too until a moment ago."

"No…I didn't know. Jesus, Gaara, you're scary," he laughed, sitting up to wrap his arms around Gaara's small frame tightly.

"That is a good thing?" he murmured into Naruto's neck, nuzzling close.

"Yeah, it's a good thing. I like knowing you'll be able to take care of yourself, in the event that I'm ever not there." Breathing in Gaara's soft scent of sand and sunlight, Naruto stood slowly, cradling the noble's body against his.

"But you'll always be there, right?" Gaara asked quietly, staring up at the man he loved with clear sky blue eyes.

"Yeah, I'll always be there," Naruto replied, his eyes swimming with happy tears as he leaned down and laid his lips over Gaara's.


	17. Removing the Demon

C H A P T E R 17

"You want _what_?" Gaara cried, bolting upright in his chair. The group of four had gone back to the Correspondence Sect and now sat in Oki's office. She had let them back in with a sigh, and a silent plea that her office wouldn't get made any messier.

"We want Shukaku," Deidara repeated calmly, sitting slouched in his chair, hands clasped over his belly and legs splayed in a relaxed pose. Tobi nodded frantically beside him.

"Gaara," Naruto murmured softly, lifting a hand to lay it over the noble's soothingly. "Does the demon really mean that much to you? I thought you hated him, for the way people treated you because of him."

Gaara turned towards the blonde, his eyes softening. "I don't know. Shukaku has always been there. What if I change after they take him away? What if I lose my ability to control the sand? How will I protect my people?"

A small smirk graced Deidara's lips. "Technically, their not entirely your people anymore. Remember? You have a council now, and I'm Head Councillor."

The redhead's eyes jerked back to Deidara's, cold as ice. "They are my people," he insisted. "Moreover, your not even a citizen of Suna. You're a member of the Akatsuki, and as soon as the council knows that, they'll give me my position back, and so help me, I'll purge my city of the council. They're naught but a room of old coots."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, as soon as I have Shukaku, I'm outa here. And you needn't worry about losing your powers. It's always you that has been able to control the sand. The demon simply amplified your powers. You might have to train hard for a while to build up your strength, but you'll still be able to defend your city."

Gaara relaxed slightly. "Well that's good, I suppose. Why do you want Shukaku, anyhow?" He slowly sat back down, leaning into Naruto's touch as the blonde wrapped his arm around Gaara's shoulders.

"I don't think that really matters. What matters is that Tobi and I helped you escape from Itachi. You're an honourable man, Gaara. You can't help but know that you have to repay me for what I've done. Well, we want Shukaku. Nothing more, nothing less. Just the demon. Then we'll be out of your hair for good." Deidara hoped his last sentence was true. These two had already been put through enough.

Naruto squeezed Gaara's shoulder encouragingly. "Don't worry about it, Gaara. Besides, with Shukaku gone, you'll finally be able to sleep peacefully at night."

"How did you become familiar with the fact that I am unable to sleep at night?" the nobleman whispered, looking up into Naruto's cerulean eyes.

"I've heard you pacing your rooms, Gaara. For maybe one night it's not unusual, but I've noticed that you don't sleep the whole time I've been here. It was natural to assume it was because of Shukaku." A blush bloomed on Naruto's tanned cheeks with the knowledge that Gaara now knew the knight had been listening to his every move.

Gaara too blushed, wondering what the knight had heard him doing. _I haven't done anything bad like _that, he thought, blushing brighter at the thought of doing _that_. _But I've talked to myself about things pertaining to Naruto…could he have heard what I said? I didn't mean most of it_, Gaara thought desperately.

Deidara stared at the couple, before coughing discretely. "Well, what do you say, Sheik? Will you allow us to remove Shukaku from you?"

The noble jerked his eyes back to Deidara, and cleared his throat before speaking. "Yes, I will allow this." He was rewarded with Tobi's happy clap and the artist's smirk.

"How is this going to work?" Naruto asked, threading his fingers with Gaara's, clasping their hands together warmly.

Deidara stood, reaching into his pocket. "It's fairly simple, don't worry. We need Gaara's full cooperation though, or the spell could backfire and kill him."

Gaara watched the artist impassively, effectively hiding his worry from the occupants of the room. "So how are you going to remove Shukaku from my body?"

Oki interrupted just as the blonde opened his mouth to further explain the complexities of removing a demon from a person's body. "I've kept quiet this whole time, but I can't just sit here and let you go through with this. Didn't you hear what he said, Gaara?" she cried, stepping towards her friend. "He said you could die. I don't know about you, but I don't want you to die."

A small smile slowly appeared on Gaara's smooth features. He caught her hand in his, pulling her down to sit beside him. "Do not worry for me, Oki. I do not wish to die. But if Shukaku is removed from my body, everything will be better. For everyone."

"Are you sure?" Oki whispered, looking down at their joined hands.

"I'm certain," he said simply.

"If everyone is ready to listen now," Deidara said with a specific look aimed at Oki, who blushed, "then allow me to describe what we will have to." At a slight nod from Gaara, the blonde began his explanation. "We'll take this scroll," he gestured with the one he held in his hand, "and read the incantation on it. That will awaken Shukaku. Then –"

Once again, Oki interrupted him. "Won't that be dangerous?"

A glare was levelled her way. "Yes, that will be extremely dangerous, but hopefully Gaara will have enough will power to keep him suppressed, even in his awakened state. I'm sure most nights Gaara spends awake because Shukaku is awake."

Gaara nodded slightly. "Yes, I stay awake because I fear that if he wakes up while I sleep, he will be able to control my body."

"Now if we're quite done with the constant _worrying_," Deidara muttered, "after we awaken Shukaku, Gaara will need to use his powers to draw Shukaku to the surface of his mind. Once he's there, Tobi will use his powers to reach inside Gaara's soul and slowly extract Shukaku from his. It will take time and effort, because over the years the demon has entwined his soul with Gaara's. Once Tobi has separated the two souls, it will be a simple matter of binding Shukaku into a scroll."

"Tobi has the power to reach into a person's body?" Naruto asked with surprise, using his free hand to lightly poke his stomach while looking down at it.

The mask-wearer nodded. "Tobi's power allows him to pass through objects. With enough concentration, Tobi can reach into a person's mind and soul." He bounced in his chair, as he had been doing since they had entered the room. The boy just couldn't keep still.

"Into my mind?" Gaara asked inquisitively, turning his attention to the younger man seated beside Deidara.

"Tobi will not look at your thoughts," the smaller Akatsuki member replied. "He has been ordered to only obtain Shukaku, and that is all Tobi will do."

Gaara visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," Deidara said with a broad grin. "We've been trying to get Shukaku from you since we came here."

The noble's right eye narrowed at the couple before him. "'Since we came here' you say? You've been here for nearly five years. How did you expect to remove Shukaku from me without my cooperation?"

The artist coughed, neatly caught. "Well, there _is_ another way to get at him, but there are certain requirements that have to be met before it can work properly, and even then, the transaction would surely kill you. This way," he finished brightly, "you have a greater chance of living."

"Well thank the Kamis you've waited this long," Gaara said sarcastically.

"Enough blathering," Deidara spoke strongly. "Let's get this show on the road. The sooner we get Shukaku, the sooner we're outa here! Anywhere specific you wanna do this?"

"I think it would be safer to do this at my house. There are fewer people in the vicinity, and if I cannot control Shukaku, the damage will be minimum to our cities stronghold until I can be subdued." Gaara stood slowly, Naruto and Oki standing with him.

"I have to stay here, Gaara," his friend said sadly. "I need to finish my work and then head home. I haven't slept in days." She smiled gratefully when he nodded. "I'm positive that everything will turn out all right. The fates can't be so cruel as to remove such a wonderful leader from Suna's history."

The redhead blushed lightly at her praise. "Thank you. I will come to call on you when all is done." When she nodded in reply he left the room without a backwards glance.

"Don't worry about him," Naruto murmured, catching her brown gaze. "I'll take care of him."

"I know you will," she smiled.

* * *

Gaara's eyes slowly took on a demonic look, and Deidara lowered the scroll carefully. Naruto shifted nervously in his seated position beside Gaara, and Tobi lounged on the bed, asleep for all anyone knew.

"You gonna be okay, Gaara?" Deidara asked from where he stood in front of the boy. "We can still stop. While we have awakened Shukaku, his powers haven't been activated yet. We could still suppress him for you."

The noble shook his head swiftly. "No, lets do this now. There is little point in waiting until I have more courage, when we are already fully prepared to do this now." He stood slowly from his lush green couch, prepared for the next part.

"Right, well, you know what you have to do. Just use your powers. Doesn't matter if it's big or small." Deidara watched with avid curiousity, wondering what the redhead would do.

Staring down at his feet, Gaara slowly drew a hand full of sand from the pile they had placed in the middle of his room. Compressing it in his hand, he quickly heated the sand before Shukaku could overtake his mind. His low growl split the air as he dropped a glass heart onto the plush cushions beside Naruto, before he bent forward and clutched his head in shaking hands. "Do it now!" he ground out, clenching his teeth.

"Tobi," Deidara called. The man was quickly up and beside Gaara. Without a moments hesitation his hand was pressed gently into the noble's body, directly over his heart.

Gaara cried out softly, his body jerking back until he stood with his back arched, his hands clawing at Tobi's chest and shoulders. The other man stayed focused, his one-eyed gaze intense through his mask on something the others couldn't see.

"Deidara-sama," the boy whispered. The artist immediately leaned forward. "Shukaku is resisting the separation, and is twining himself more securely around Gaara's soul. We need Gaara to allow Shukaku full control, or the demon could badly damage his soul in his attempt to stay connected with him."

Deidara quickly repeated Tobi's words to Naruto, who nodded and stepped up behind Gaara's panting form. "Gaara," he murmured, laying his hands on the smaller man's tense shoulders. He felt the heat of the glass heart in his pocket, burning against his skin. "Gaara, if you trust me, go to sleep. Let Shukaku have full reign of your body. I promised to protect you, and to do that, you have to trust me." Naruto felt Gaara's form shudder before he nodded slightly, and suddenly the air in the room seem to be pressing down on them, making it hard to breath. When Gaara began to move away from the trio around him, Naruto wrapped his strong arms around him, yelling over the roar in his ears, "Kami, Tobi, do it!"

This time the Akatsuki member used both his hands, moving them swiftly over Gaara's heart. He could feel sweat pearl on his forehead and drip down the side of his nose, but ignored it. _I can see Gaara and Shukaku's soul. It's a good thing Gaara's soul is white and pure, compared to Shukaku's purple and menacing soul, or I would find it very difficult to separate them completely._ Wincing at Gaara's pain, for he could feel the searing agony that was rushing through the noble's body as the two souls finally began to separate. Pulling the loose ends of Shukaku's spirit from Gaara, Tobi heard, as if from far away, Deidara begin his mantra to bind the demon to a fresh scroll for transportation. He continued to work, relaxing as Gaara relaxed, and tensing up as Gaara tensed up. Tobi could feel Shukaku trying desperately to stay connected with the redhead, but he worked mercilessly, severing their souls from each other. He did this carefully though, so as not to harm either soul, though he was especially careful when he gently pushed Gaara's soul back into its rightful place within his heart. He pulled his hands from the noble when he felt Deidara's long-fingered hands clasp his shoulder, but he couldn't hear what he was saying over the pulsing in his ears.

Deidara repeated his query, and then frowned when Tobi didn't show any sign of recognition again. He turned towards the knight that held Gaara's limp form to him tightly. "Put him to bed. He should be fine in the morning. If you don't mind, I'm going to put Tobi in your room, and I'll bunk with him there. Once Tobi is well again, we'll leave with the scroll." Picking his lover up as if he were as light as a feather, Deidara pulled him in close to his body and nuzzled his neck lovingly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

Also cradling his love in his arms, Naruto leaned his head in to rest his forehead against Gaara's, gently probing with his aura for Gaara's. When he felt the tired response, Naruto smiled softly and pressed a kiss to the noble's brow, before turning around and placing him tenderly on the plump cushions of the bed. Removing all his clothing except his pants, the knight slipped into bed beside Gaara, pulling him into his arms again before joining the redhead in a deep sleep.


	18. Making Love

_Okay, so this is the chapter that many of you have been waiting for, wondering why this is M rated XD Except for the yummy DeiTobi scene _

_So this is like, my first time talking to you guys! 8D Hiya! I hope you're enjoying my story. This is the second to last chapter, so it'll be done soon. Maybe I'll start updating the sequel as well, though I'm not done it yet. I have some more oneshots that I'll submit though, tomorrow maybe._

_So, the yaoi has arrived! Gaara and Naruto do make love in this chapter, almost immediately, so you can skip right over that to the next page break if you want to, cuz you won't miss anything important. Except Naruto's declaration of love and giving of a present and such, but no big deal D: _

_Anyway, enjoy! Leave some feedback, because after the sequel...there'll be another sequel with Kankuro XD I've already got the pairing chosen for that one, and I'll keep that a secret until I start writing it, but if you have ideas for what should happen, let me know them _

C H A P T E R 18

Grunting softly, Gaara rolled onto his back and stretched his arms out above him, yawning loudly. Cracking one eyelid open slowly, Gaara quickly spotted the bright yellow hair lying on the pillow beside him. Moving his gaze up and down Naruto's sleeping form, he slowly edged closer to the knight until he was pressed up against his chest.

"Naruto," he murmured softly. The noble then jerked back again when the blonde's eyes immediately flew open and stared down into his.

Opening his mouth in a powerful yawn, Naruto arched his back off the bed, stretching his entire length before lying back down. Turning onto his side, he supported his head on his right hand, using the other to scratch idly at his ribs. "Morning," he said quietly.

"Actually, I think its afternoon," Gaara replied, snuggling up against his lover.

Pursing his lips, Naruto looked over his shoulder to gaze out the window before slowly nodding. "Yep, looks like it is. That means its time for food!" He started to get up, when a pale hand reached out and grabbed his forearm.

"Wait, Naruto…I think we need to clarify some things before we do anything else today," the redhead whispered, licking his lips nervously.

The other man sat up, propping his chin on his palm. "Okay, what about?" he asked innocently, while he scrambled around inside to organize his thoughts, knowing what Gaara meant.

"What are you going to do now Naruto?" the nobleman asked bluntly. "You've rescued me, and helped Deidara-san and Tobi-san remove Shukaku from my body. You told me you…loved me…but what are you intentions?"

The blonde smiled, gently cupping Gaara's face in both hands and leaning forward to whisper, "I intend to stay with you for the rest of our lives, and raise children with you. I've already got it all planned out!" he nearly shouted, jumping up from the bed quickly and leaving a blinking Gaara under the sheets. "We'll adopt five or seven kids, and raise them to be beautiful and kind like you! We'll live here, in your home, of course, since my village is back in the Fire Country, and I'll help you to get your rightful seat as Head Councillor back, so that you can get rid of the Council. Sure, people won't really accept our relationship, but if it'll help you, we could live under the pretence that I'm your bodyguard. And if you don't want children, that's fine too," he spoke in a rush, turning back to the stunned redhead, "I don't have to have children, so long as I'm with you. And if you don't want me anymore, then I'd like to still work with you, Gaara! But don't expect me to just sit back and let you walk away from me. Now that I know what I want, and what I want is you, then I'll try my damnedest for as long as it takes until you'll accept me back!" He panted slightly, staring at Gaara's shocked expression with glowing blue eyes.

"Naruto," the noble whispered thickly, swallowing and raising himself to a kneeling position, "I never stopped loving you. It would…bring me great pleasure, if you would be mine. And I would love to raise children with you," he finished. "Five or seven sounds like a wonderful amount." His heart seized in his chest when Naruto's eyes softened to a warm light, and his pulse scrambled as the knight began his slow journey back to the bed.

"Well," Naruto swallowed quickly, crawling onto the bed, "why don't we do something right now, to bind us together?" He traced a tanned finger over Gaara's bottom lip.

"Yes," he replied softly, tipping his head back to stare up at Naruto. A light blush tinged his pale cheeks, and his lips fell open on a breathless sigh. "Naruto…." His eyelids fluttered closed when he felt the knight's breath fan over his lips.

"You made me a heart, Gaara," Naruto whispered softly. "I woke up last night and couldn't fall asleep, because there was something nagging at my thoughts. I made this for you last night," he finished slowly, lifting the nobleman's right hand and slowly sliding a thin silver band onto his ring finger. "It's not much, but I think it's the closest we can have to an official marriage." His gaze lifted from the ring and locked onto Gaara's as the swum with happy tears.

"Oh, my love," the redhead murmured, raising his free hand to cover his quivering lips. They lifted into a shaky grin before he launched himself forward into Naruto's chest, who fell back against the covers with a quiet grunt. "Yes," he chanted, planting quick kisses over the tanned and scarred face, "yes, yes, yes."

Naruto's wide chest rumbled with laughter. Turning his face slightly, the knight covered Gaara's lips with his own, drawing a soft sigh from the noble. He felt Gaara's weight press into his body, and he had to suppress a moan as he felt his manhood twitch with excitement. "We can't, Gaara," he groaned, pushing the smaller man up gently until they were both seated.

"Why not?" he asked, staring intently at the now squirming knight.

"You're still hurt. I only got you out of those dungeons yesterday afternoon. You're not up to any strenuous activities yet," he finished, shifting his pants to attempt hiding his bulging erection.

Quirking an eyebrow in response, Gaara's gaze fell to Naruto's obvious discomfort before a small smile spread across his face. He slowly locked eyes with his lover again, murmuring, "I'm more than ready, Naruto. I don't want to wait any longer to join with you." He slowly began crawling towards the reluctant knight.

Naruto gulped at the sight of Gaara on his hands and knees before him. His back curved as he was pressed into the mattress by the redhead's warm body, and he moaned when Gaara slowly rubbed their pulsing lengths against each other. "Gaara…are you certain?" _I don't want to hurt you, my love._

"Yes, I'm positive."

Groaning softly, the knight sat up and cradled Gaara's body against his, lowering him onto the plush pillows slowly. "I don't want to hurt you," he said softly, quickly pulling off his thin undershirt to reveal his rippling chest and abdominal muscles.

"You could never hurt me," the sheik replied, reaching down to undo the drawstrings of Naruto's leggings. He was pleased when a soft moaned escaped the knight's lips as he dragged his fingertips over the tight tent in his undergarments.

"Gaara," Naruto purred, slowly removing the nobleman's clothing. His flesh raised into goosebumps as their bare chests rubbed against each other, and his cock pulsed nearly painfully when the other man moaned softly. "I want to bring you such pleasure," he murmured, gliding his tongue down the length of Gaara's neck.

"Ahh, Naruto," the redhead gasped, arching his back slightly when the knight wrapped his lips around a small, pink nipple and began to lightly tease it with his teeth and tongue. Gaara's chest rose and fell harshly with each panting breathe as Naruto moved towards the other warm nub, leaving behind a thin trail of saliva. His heartbeat sped up as the blonde's large tanned hands caressed his stomach and hips, and he moaned loudly when he felt the tip of Naruto's erection rub against his own.

A satisfied smile curved the scarred man's lips as he continued his journey down the noble's body, licking and sucking the pale skin. His clever tongue darted into Gaara's belly body, eliciting a shocked cry from his throat. A loud purr rumbled from his chest, and he lovingly nuzzled the curls above the redhead's member. Naruto allowed his tongue to glide up Gaara's length, before he raised his mouth to encircle the round tip.

Gaara cried out softly, his body arching off the bed as he felt the gentle suction of the knight's mouth on his cock. "N-Naruto!" he moaned, threading shaking fingers into the thick blonde hair below him. Thrusting his hips up slightly, the nobleman's breathing grew more rapid when Naruto opened his mouth and took his entire length in, stopping when the tip nudged the back of his throat. "Oh, kami, Naruto," Gaara groaned, moving his hips slightly. Naruto took that as a subtle hint and began moving his mouth up and down on Gaara's cock, tightening his lips around it and sucking hard. Panting and moaning loudly, the redhead's leg muscles tensed as he fought the urge to thrust up wildly within the hot cavity. Stomach muscles quivering, legs braced on either side of Naruto's body, Gaara could do nothing but scream as he came inside the blonde's mouth, before collapsing onto the bed.

Grunting softly, the knight sat back on his haunches and wiped a hand over his lips, swallowing Gaara's essence. Licking his lips slowly, Naruto leaned over Gaara's body and pressed his lips over the other's. "Taste yourself on me," he murmured, sliding his tongue into the noble's mouth. "You taste so good," he purred, moving his tongue around, exploring Gaara's depths.

Soft moans spilled forth from the redhead's throat as his mouth was deliciously assaulted. Lifting his own tongue slowly, he glided along the underside of Naruto's, who immediately drew Gaara's tongue into his mouth. Shocked at his own actions, Gaara slowly explored Naruto's mouth, tasting himself on the blonde's tongue. Pulling away slowly, he was pleased when the knight groaned disappointment, before pushing Naruto onto his back. "I want to give you what you gave to me," he murmured, staring down at Naruto's sizeable erection with drowsy, lust-filled eyes. Not wanting to give Naruto a chance to protest, Gaara swooped down at took his length within his mouth, gliding his tongue experimentally down the rigid penis.

"Ahh," Naruto cried, twisting the bed sheets in his fists and curving up off the bed. "Gaara!" Tilting his head back, the knight panted harshly and his senses were bombarded with pleasure. His stomach muscles tightened as Gaara worked his body, nipping the tip of his erecting gently. Moaning loudly, he spoke quickly, "Gaara, don't, I-I don't know if y-you'll like i-it." Biting his lip slightly, Naruto's hips jerked up, and he cried out softly. Removing one hand from the tangle bed sheets, the tanned man gently removed Gaara's lips from his member, before sitting up slowly, his muscles trembling.

"Naruto, I was ready," the noble murmured, wondering why he had been stopped.

"I know, but not yet. I want to bring you yet more pleasure," was the reply. Popping his fingers into his mouth, Naruto made sure to coat them completely with his saliva, all the while coaxing Gaara to lie on his back. Removing the appendages from his orifice, Naruto pressed them between Gaara's legs, against his entrance.

Gasping softly, the redhead jerked within the knight's grasp, shivering with uncertainty. "Naruto," he whispered, only to be silenced by the other's hot tongue.

"Don't worry," the blonde breathed against Gaara's lips, "I know you've probably never been with someone of my size, but after the initial twinge, you'll feel nothing but satisfaction." Probing with one finger, he went slowly, stopping whenever the other winced, even slightly. When Gaara sighed softly, Naruto inserted a second finger, spreading and scissoring them slowly.

Gaara cried out softly, his legs spreading of their own volition. The last time he had joined with a man had been when Itachi raped him, and he still felt very tender. Small spears of pain lanced up his spine while his muscles shifted to accommodate the gentle invasion. Suddenly, he felt Naruto's hips rest against his, and he moaned loudly as the tip of the knight's member began to press into his aching entrance.

"Shhh," Naruto whispered when Gaara whimpered softly. "Just relax. Soon you'll be on a high you've never felt before." Pressing in to the hilt, Naruto groaned loudly at how tight the sheik was. He grunted when Gaara's legs lifted around his hips, tightening around him and pressing him in a little more. Pulling out halfway, Naruto thrust back in gently, created a slow rhythm as he began rocking in and out of Gaara's body.

"Naruto," Gaara cried, tilting his hips up to receive the knight's thrusting shaft. "P-please, Naruto!" Not quite sure what he was asking for, this form tingled in reaction as the blonde slowly began to pound into him, moving faster and faster. Allowing his body to speed up, they moved against each other in a quick dance that only they knew. It seemed to take hours, but in only moment Gaara had reached that cloud again, and he cried out loudly when Naruto hit that spot within him, causing the noble to come onto their stomachs.

Thrusting one last time, Naruto cried out softly as he joined his lover in utter bliss, before tumbling back down from the heavens.

* * *

"Gaara, we want you to take your position back." The elders spoke at once, their words blurring into a nearly incomprehensible cry.

Seated in his office at the Residence, the Sheik of Suna quirked a pale eyebrow. "Oh, do you now," he replied, leaning back in his cushioned chair. He winced internally at the slight discomfort between his legs.

"Yes. Now that it has been revealed that Takehiro-san was in fact Deidara of the Akatsuki, we had hoped to discover his whereabouts to punish him, but he has vanished. And now that we have no Head, we need someone to fill that position. You are the only person that qualifies, my lord," one of the Elders said, bowing slightly.

"Ahh, so Takehiro has disappeared, and now you want me back," he stated rather than asked. _If the Elder's can't locate him, then he truly has left already. I thought as much when Naruto and I went to check on him this afternoon and found the room empty._

"Yes."

The noble appeared to be mulling it over, causing the Elders to sweat. Finally, Gaara nodded. "All right, I'll return as Head Councillor. And as my first decree…I abolish the Council." A smirk lit his features when the councillors stared at him in shock. "You may all go home now."

"But – " they began, only to be cut off.

"I am the Sheik, and as of a moment ago, the Head. You have to right to challenge me. All that has happened is your fault. This never would have occurred if the council didn't exist, so I'm putting a stop to it." His cold glare stopped and protestations they would have made, and one by one, the ex-council members filed out of the room, whispering hurriedly amongst themselves. Sighing softly, Gaara lifted a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, the sunlight reflecting softly off the silver ring on his finger.

"Looks like you didn't need my help after all," a quiet voice spoke from that shadows.

"Naruto, I didn't know you'd decided to come in," Gaara exclaimed excitedly, spinning his chair around to watch the knight leisurely step into the light.

"Well, I couldn't very well let you just leave after the wonderful time we had," he said devilishly, a grin spreading across his face.

Laughing, Gaara spun the ring slowly, standing up to face his partner. "I thought you would've been gorging yourself on food right now."

"Oh, I did do that. Then I came here," he snickered, dropping a soft kiss on Gaara's forehead before dropping into the seat and pulling the nobleman onto his lap.

Sighing contentedly, Gaara pressed back into Naruto's embrace. "It would seem I'm now the true protector of Suna again. Things are going just as planned."

Inhaling Gaara's scent deeply, Naruto nodded. "Mmmm, yes. Now there's only one thing left to do."

"And what's that?" the Sheik asked, lifting one hand to thread his fingers into the knight's hair.

"Start a family," Naruto replied.


	19. Starting a Family

C H A P T E R 19 - EPILOGUE

A week had passed since Gaara dismissed the Council and taken up full responsibilities as the Sheik once more. His days were currently filled with a lot of paperwork. He spent most of his time behind his desk, signing papers that would give new orders to warriors that had been recently slack in their duties, passing new laws to protect his citizens, signing peace treaties with nearby villages that were anxious to be assured of his loyalty, and reading through the 'spy mail' that Oki dubbed large enough for him to have to look through.

On this day, he had had enough. Sighing, the Sheik pushed away from his desk swiftly, rising to rub his temple with two fingers while looking out his window at the city below. _They have no idea just how much I do for them. Though they seem to trust me more, now that they know Shukaku no longer resides within me, and that I still have all of my former abilities. I am still able to protect them._ Turning away, Gaara wandered around his office before deciding to step outside for some fresh air. About to step out into the hallway, the nobleman bumped solidly into the broad chest of Naruto.

"Ouch," Gaara mumbled, rubbing his nose and glaring slightly up at the tall knight.

"Sorry!" Naruto replied with embarrassment, raising both hands entreatingly. "I came to rescue you!" The knight declared, swiftly picking up Gaara's small frame and cradling him against his chest.

"Naruto!" Gaara gasped, trying hard not to laugh. "I can walk you know! I was just going outside for some fresh air, so why don't you join me?" He wiggled in the blonde's grasp, and was only slightly disappointed when Naruto refused to let go, walking down the hallway towards the staircase that would lead to the exit.

"I think I will join you on a pleasant walk through the city," the taller man declared, taking the stairs down two at a time. Gaara had to cling to Naruto's shoulders so as not to be dropped, which caused him to press up against the other's heat. Naruto grinned with undeniable satisfaction.

A pout nearly formed on his lips. "Let me down Naruto, before you have to clean sand out of a certain crevice for a month." Gaara did laugh when his lover swiftly dropped him onto his feet, backing up a few steps.

"You wouldn't really do that…would you?" He asked in shock, cupping his ass defensively.

"I don't know," Gaara answered mysteriously, strolling out the doors leading into the outer courtyard, "But I don't think you want to test me."

Naruto rushed forward to catch up, laying a tentative arm around the redhead's shoulders. "I don't think you would," the knight guessed confidently.

"Probably not," the nobleman replied, reaching up his right hand to intertwine his fingers with Naruto's, "but in the end, it got you to let me down." A small smirk played across his lips.

"We'll see about that," Naruto growled playful, prepared to pick the other man up again. Bending down to do so, Gaara squealed loudly before running down the street, laughing.

Looking over his shoulder, a delighted grin spread across his face. Turning a corner, he hid in one of the overhead stoops, panting slightly. Pressing up against the door when he heard footsteps, Gaara watched as Naruto raced past, intent on finding him. Tiptoeing back around the corner, the Sheik headed towards the marketplace, whistling innocently.

He strolled slowly among the wares, picking out some fresh fruit to take home with him. He was just about to head over to the butcher when he saw a flash of yellow hair. His knee-jerk reaction was to duck behind a stall. When a knight didn't come barrelling in after him, Gaara snuck a peek over the edge and gazed upon a small child huddled against the mud-brick wall.

Her clothes hung in tatters over her frail body. Dirt smudged her visage, making it hard to tell what her features were. But one thing stuck out. Her brilliant violet eyes. They stared back into Gaara's own pale sky blue, seeming to be asking him something. Standing slowly, the noble made his way back around the stall, stopping in front of her before crouching down. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

Suddenly loud shouting entered Gaara's ears and he turned around just in time to receive Naruto's ecstatic hug. "I couldn't find you!" he gushed out, squeezing the smaller man within his embrace. "Sneaky bugger, you thought you could get away, but I've got you now!" Naruto nuzzled Gaara's neck, giving it a quick lick before pulling back to stare at the little girl behind them. "Who's that?" he asked, blinking slowly.

"I don't know," Gaara replied, scowling slightly and wiggling from the knight's grasp. "I was about to ask before you attacked me."

Naruto pouted. "I didn't attack you. It was a cuddle of love."

Gaara snorted. "Whatever, it matters not. What matters is this little girl." Looking back at her, his eyes softened to see her pressed up against the alley wall, breathing fast and staring at them with frightened eyes. "Fear not," he whispered, holding out his hand. "We do not wish to hurt you."

Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand into his, and Gaara immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "I'm hungry," she spoke softly.

"And its no wonder," Naruto exclaimed, popping up into her line of vision. "You're naught but skin and bones!" He lightly poked her upper arm for emphasis.

"We can fix that quick enough," Gaara suggested, standing slowly with her light weight held securely. "Come with us and spend the night at our house. I was about to go there and make some dinner, so you might as well join us. A good bath and nights rest will do you good, I imagine." When she gave a slight nod, both Naruto and Gaara began the short walk back to the mansion.

Naruto wrapped his arm around Gaara's shoulder, and ran his free hand down the girl's similar golden tresses, smiling softly in reply to her shaky grin.

* * *

"Oh boy," the child cried, throwing her arms out wide, "I've never been this full in my entire life!" She handed her empty plate back to Gaara, grinning impishly with a gap indicating a missing tooth.

"What, no fourth helping?" Gaara asked teasingly, retrieving the dish.

"If she won't have another serving, I will," Naruto boasted, scooping more ramen noodles into his bowl.

The nobleman gave a mock scowl. "Ramen doesn't count as a meal. The little one had a true meal of kebabs, pita, and orzo." He tussled her hair with pride.

"And it was all delicious," she said truthfully, leaning up close to give him a tight hug before jumping down and racing around the kitchen. "But where is your wife?" she questioned, looking at the noble over her shoulder innocently.

Gaara swallowed slowly. "Well, I'm not exactly married." He twirled the ring on his finger nervously.

"But you wear a wedding band," she whispered, staring pointedly at the silver ring. Her large violet eyes slowly moved back and forth between the two men. "Is it that you two belong to each other? Because my friend had a male lover too, before he ran away."

Naruto leaned forward, a look of interest gracing his features as he cupped his chin in hand. "Oh really now? And what do you think about two men loving each other so?" Out of the corner of his eye Naruto could see Gaara fiddling nervously. _So worried about what a little child thinks of us._

"I think its perfectly fine," she answered immediately, rushing forward to crawl up into the knight's lap. He instantly settled her there more comfortably, wrapping his arms around her. "Especially since it's the Sheik. I figure he can do whatever he wants." She grinned disarmingly at Gaara.

A shaky smile lifted the corners of his lips as the noble walked forward to rest a hand on her head. "Thank you. I'm glad to know that someone accepts us as we are."

"Oh yeah," she gushed, talking fast, "You guys are so cool! I wish I didn't have to go." She finished and looked down at her lap, eyes losing a touch of light.

Gaara's eyes softened, staring at the little girl who looked so much like his lover. "Maybe you don't have to go," he whispered.

Naruto's head jerked up, along with the child's. "What?" they said simultaneously.

Gaara's lips spread into a wide smile, delight flashing in his sky blue eyes. "Think about it Naruto! We can't have children, but we want them so badly. And this little one," he gently stroked her shiny locks, "has no were to go. If she leaves, she'll just be back on the street. But, if you're willing," he continued, directing this statement to the child, "then you could stay with us. We would adopt you as our daughter, and you would live here."

"Why are you offering something like this to me? I'm worthless trash off the street. There are many orphanages you can adopt from," she whispered, looking down at her clasped hands.

Gaara knelt slowly, bringing them eye-to-eye. "I think its fate that you and I found each other today. Its no mere coincidence that when I so desperately want a child, but cannot have one, I find you. No, I believe it to be fate."

"If I were to agree, then you would be my…fathers?" She looked back and forth between them, moisture gathering in her eyes. She sniffled softly.

"Yes, I suppose we would," Naruto answered, picking up where Gaara left off. "We'd be your guardians, like good father's are."

"I've never known a father's love," she said softly, rubbing a small fist against her eyes.

"Now you'll know two," Gaara replied, pulling her into his arms. She immediately wrapped thin arms around his neck, squeezing tight.

"Then I…accept," she mumbled into his neck.

Naruto laughed, jumped up and wrapping his arms around the two of them. "Now we're one big happy family!" He crowed, lifting them off the floor. When he put them back down, the knight blinked slowly into the shining pair of eyes staring at him. "But…what's your name?"

"I don't have a name," the girl said, blinking back.

"Then from now on, you shall be Kazue," Gaara smiled, kissing her cheek and cuddling her small body close.


End file.
